Ian Garry is one of the most controversial fighters in the UFC. The Irishman is just 26, undefeated (so far), has a championship pedigree ranked #7 in the top-heavy welterweight division and seems en route to a title shot. Not to mention he is already one of the most recognizable stars on the nearly 600-fighter-strong UFC roster.

While there is no doubt about his ability and skills inside the octagon, ‘The Future’ has found himself in numerous controversies, most recently about his wife, Layla, and being kicked out of 170-pound champ Leon Edwards‘ gym. However, not many fans are aware that this was not even the first time Garry was kicked out of a gym.

Ian Garry’s new gym, coaches, and teammates

It is not surprising to see Ian Garry’s striking prowess since he started boxing at the age of ten. In addition, the welterweight was inspired by Conor McGregor, who was setting fire to the MMA world when ‘The Future’ was a teen. This made him determined to embark on a journey to become ‘the next Conor McGregor’.

Garry even dropped out of college at the age of 19 to pursue his MMA dream. The Irishman had his first professional MMA fight in 2019 following a brief amateur stint. And his first gym, where he cut his teeth, was Team KF in the Irish capital of Dublin. The 26-year-old, however, parted ways with the gym in 2021, just prior to his Cage Warriors title bout in June that year for reasons we will see later.

After leaving the Irish gym, he joined the storied Kill Cliff gym, home to the likes of former welterweight champion Kamaru Usman, fellow undefeated welterweight Shavkat Rakhmonov, and lightweight star and former Bellator champ, Michael Chandler.

In addition to Kill Cliff, he also cross-trained at the Renegade gym in Birmingham. In fact, the latter gym is the stomping ground of welterweight champion Leon Edwards. And ‘The Future’ has accused Edwards of getting him kicked out of the gym last year. However, Edwards has rubbished these claims. Right now, the Irishman trains at the Chute Boxe gym led by Diego Lima in the Brazilian metropolis of Sao Paulo, where he rubs shoulders with former lightweight champion Charles Oliveira.

Why was Ian Garry kicked out of his gym?

As we have mentioned, Ian Garry was kicked out of the Renegade gym last year. And the undefeated welterweight has put the blame of his exit squarely on Leon Edwards’ shoulders. In an interview after parting ways with the Birmingham gym, he claimed that he was asked to leave by the head coach of the gym since he felt he and Edwards were on a collision course.

However, Edwards has contradicted these claims and revealed that the Irishman was kicked out of his gym not because of him or them possibly fighting in the future, but because of his unprofessional conduct. “Basically, the gym decided that he just wasn’t fitting for the gym. He’s like a talker, a social media guy, brings his cameras everywhere. He’s late to sessions. It’s like two different cultures to what we have in our gym. The guys decided, not because of me,” Edwards said.

And ‘Rocky’s version of events does seem more credible since Garry has a history of being kicked out of gyms for similar conduct as the champ alluded to. Team KF, his first gym, had released a statement following the Irishman’s exit, accusing Garry of very similar transgressions. The Irish gym claimed that ‘The Future’ was kicked out of the gym after “repeated warnings regarding his behaviour to other teammates and his coaches,” and claiming that since he did not adhere to the values of loyalty, honor, and respect, Garry’s position in the gym had become “untenable.” Further, the statement also charged Garry with being “uncoachable.”