Leon Edwards has already knocked Ian Garry out in training: Paddy Pimblett

Paddy Pimblett has suggested that Leon Edwards knocked out Ian Garry during a training session. Reigning UFC welterweight champion Edwards is scheduled to defend his title against Colby Covington in the headlining matchup of UFC 296 on December 16, 2023.

Elsewhere on the UFC 296 fight card, undefeated welterweight Ian Garry will fight Vicente Luque, with the winner advancing in the welterweight ranks. Heading into UFC 296, Garry recently claimed that he'd been barred from entering the Team Renegade gym, where Edwards primarily trains.

Ian Garry has often trained at Team Renegade in Birmingham, UK. Besides, the rising Irish welterweight star also trains at the Kill Cliff FC fight camp in Florida, USA. Speaking to The Independent, Garry indicated that UK MMA star Leon Edwards' head coach, Dave Lovell, banned him from the Team Renegade gym.

He claimed that Lovell did so because he didn't want "Leon having any doubts or insecurities." Garry, who's resultantly training at the Chute Box Academy instead, implied that Lovell and Edwards' team view him as a future threat to the reigning champion.

Liverpudlian UFC lightweight Paddy Pimblett, who'll return from his injury hiatus against Tony Ferguson at UFC 296, recently spoke to Sky Sports. 'The Baddy' notably chimed in on who'd be a worthy challenger for Leon Edwards' title, likely at a possible UFC Wembley event in 2024.

One of the names the interviewer brought up was that of Ian Garry. Pimblett asserted that Edwards has already knocked Garry out, albeit in training. 'The Baddy' stated:

"No, Ian Garry doesn't deserve a title shot. Come on. I mean, Leon's already knocked him out in training, so we don't need to know about that."

When asked if that's what he's heard, Pimblett said:

"Yeah. That's what I've heard."

Watch Pimblett discuss the topic at 13:15 in the video below:

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Leon Edwards vs. Ian Garry: 'The Future' jibes at 'Rocky' during conversation with fellow UFC welterweight

Ian Machado Garry was in attendance for the UFC Fight Night: Almeida vs. Lewis ceremonial weigh-ins earlier this month (November 2023). While backstage at the weigh-ins, 'The Future' ran into Kill Cliff FC training partner Gilbert Burns. During a conversation with Burns, Garry directed a jab at Leon Edwards by stating:

“Because Leon’s a b***h and kicked me out of the gym.”

Ian Garry's verbal attacks against the Leon Edwards welterweight reign, and 'Rocky' in general, come amid heightened tensions between him (Garry) and the Edwards camp.

After Garry's revelation that he'd been banned from Team Renegade, representatives from the fight camp gave their side of the story to The Independent. They emphasized that Garry wasn't contributing to the "team's culture" at the gym. An excerpt from their statements reads as follows:

"Ian Garry’s more nomadic approach to preparation has given him great results, but it’s not in line with what we are creating at Team Renegade. This has nothing to do with one specific fighter or a specific coach."