Daniel Cormier understands and supports the decision made by Leon Edwards and his team to no longer welcome Ian Machado Garry to their gym.
Garry is scheduled to face his Kill Cliff teammate Vicente Luque at UFC 296 on December 16, prompting him to make changes to his training regimen. In recent weeks, he had been training at Team Renegade, which is also the training ground for UFC welterweight champion Leon Edwards. However, according to Garry, Edwards and his team requested that he cease his training at their facility, a decision Garry described as “weak-minded.”
Cormier, who has a history of training alongside notable fighters like Cain Velasquez, eventually transitioned to the light heavyweight division to avoid fighting him. Given that Garry (13-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) did not hesitate to accept a fight with his teammate Luque (22-9-1 MMA, 15-5 UFC), Cormier understands why Edwards and his team do not want Garry back in their gym.
Daniel Cormier shared his perspective on the matter on his YouTube channel, stating, “Where I agree with Leon Edwards is this: Ian Garry is a tremendous young talent. He’s a guy that looks like a future world champion, but he is also a guy that does not have a problem fighting a teammate. … Ian Garry’s fighting Vicente Luque. Those guys shared the mats at Kill Cliff, one of his actual teams, for years. The moment they were given the opportunity to fight, they took it.”
Cormier continued, “I think that may be part of the reason Leon Edwards is going, ‘I don’t know if I want this guy in my gym, learning my skill set, learning what we do as a team, knowing that if he finds himself in a position that he gets an opportunity to fight for the belt, Ian Garry’s not going to say no.’ And guess what? I can’t blame him because he does not have those ties to the team.”
While Cormier agrees with Edwards, he also acknowledges Garry’s pursuit of his championship goal, stating, “I don’t think Leon is wrong. Past behaviors are what determine how you operate around someone, and in Ian’s past behaviors, it tells me that if he gets an opportunity, he won’t turn it down. And I don’t think he has to turn it down.”
For more information on UFC 296 and the upcoming fight between Ian Machado Garry and Vicente Luque, please visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 296.
