The undefeated welterweight MMA star from Ireland, Ian Garry, recently addressed his wife, Layla Anna-Lee amidst the backlash they’ve been experiencing. Garry and Anna-Lee, a UK sports presenter, got married in February 2022 and welcomed their first child, a son, in October of the same year. By late 2023, Garry got involved in heated feuds with fellow UFC welterweights like Neil Magny and Geoff Neal and his former training partner Vicente Luque. Certain sections of the MMA community criticized the 26-year-old Garry for taking personal jabs at fighters like Magny, Neal, and Luque.
UFC Middleweight Champion Sean Strickland took to social media to make derogatory remarks about Ian Garry’s wife Layla Anna-Lee. Strickland and some others suggested that she had trapped Garry into marriage and was exploiting him. Critics specifically pointed to Anna-Lee’s book, ‘How to be a WAG’, alleging that it encourages women to trap famous athletes in relationships and exploit them. Rumors circulated that Anna-Lee’s ex-husband, nutritionist Richard Cullen, lives with the couple in their house. Strickland also claimed that Garry had threatened to sue him for his comments about Anna-Lee.
The couple has consistently refuted most of the allegations made against them. Garry explained on Twitter that the controversial ‘How to be a WAG’ book was a satirical work, and Anna-Lee clarified that her ex-husband did not live with them. In a recent Instagram post, Garry further declared his love and support for his wife, sharing pictures of the couple and stating, “Im in love with you. This post is just to show the world your smile and how happy we are together no matter what. You are everything to me.”
Layla Anna-Lee took to her Instagram account to defend her book, implying that it was a satire ahead of its time and that ageism has likely played a significant role in the criticism she and Ian Garry have faced. The book, published in 2010 during the FIFA Football World Cup, was based on her knowledge of football’s WAG culture, resulting from her attendance at high-profile events and experience in the business. The 40-year-old pointed out that MMA fans, especially in the United States, had failed to recognize the book’s sarcasm. In a post, Anna-Lee stated, “Looking at the hate and the majority of the clips and the comments that I’m getting… the biggest thing I’ve done wrong is age. I’ve got older, and I have birthdays every year, and that’s f**king disgusting coming from a woman. Getting older is not acceptable.”
