Leon Edwards' gym has hit back at Ian Machado Garry's claims he was 'refused entrance' because of 'doubts and insecurities' of the welterweight champion and his coach.

Edwards - who won the welterweight title last year against Kamaru Usman before retaining it in March - trains at Team Renegade, which is one of the top UFC gyms in Europe.

Machado Garry is ranked No 10 at welterweight in UFC and recently trained with Edwards but was told he wasn't allowed back after just two days. 

He had claimed it was because Edwards and his coach felt threatened by him training there, but Team Renegade rubbished this accusation.

In a statement, they told the Independent: 'Sometimes the coaches allow fighters to come in from the outside, but this is very much a privilege and not the norm. 

'If the coaches feel it's not adding to the team's culture, a fighter is refused entrance. 

'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.'

Machado Garry is unbeaten and is next set to fight Vicente Luque at UFC 296 on December 16.

In an intriguing detail, this bout is on the undercard of Edwards' title defence against Colby Covington.

Renegade's claims are different to what Machado Garry had told the Independent last week when he said: 'Leon Edwards, his head coach asked me not to come back to Renegade; told me I'm not allowed to train there.

'I have to word this correctly, because I don't wanna be… Firstly, I wanna put out there that Ash and Tom, who run Renegade… I don't wanna give any negatives without saying a positive. 

'I don't want any s*** with any gyms. Leon and his head coach had an issue with me training on the mats and recently have asked me not to train there, because, "Leon doesn't want any insecurities or doubts on his own mats, within the gym," which I don't fully understand.

'I get that we're both in the top 10 and you might see me as a threat, but I'm not a threat to you right now; I'm not fighting for the title right now. His coach said the words: "Ian is a threat, I cannot have Leon having any doubts or insecurities."'

He continued: 'That makes me think someone is weak minded and can't have another contender training on the mat. 

'That's why gym conflict is annoying. For me, why not have that other elite guy on the mat? Why not train with him? Why not have him push you? Why not learn and grow from each other? 

'Now I'm being stopped from going to a gym, because I might potentially fight Leon in 18 months. My attitude is: If that's the case, why not have this conversation in six months?

'I love the guys at Renegade. They're really nice and welcoming, I rang them beforehand to make sure everything was good. Then, after the second day I was there, they were like: "Oh, we can't have you back, Leon and some of his team don't want this."'