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Layla Anna-Lee Defends Satirical Book Amid Sean Strickland’s ‘Predator’ Accusations Over Ian Garry Marriage
When Layla Anna-Lee released an 11-page audio satire in 2010 titled How to be a WAG, she never imagined it would resurface a decade later to fuel a viral storm targeting her marriage to Ian Garry, the 25-year-old UFC welterweight rising star. But after Sean Strickland, the former UFC middleweight champion, called her a "SEXUAL PREDATOR" in a November 29, 2023 social media post, the book — long forgotten by most — became the center of a global debate about age, power, and public perception.
"It Was Satire. Seriously."
Layla Anna-Lee, 36, didn’t wait long to respond. In a calm, direct video posted on November 26, 2023, she dismissed the idea that her book was a manual for gold-digging. "I wrote a book called How to be a WAG — now that statement itself is a little bit of a stretch," she said. "I can hardly call myself an author of an 11-page audible-only satire story that was written in 2010." She pointed out the absurdity in the text’s most quoted line: "Once you’ve bagged your footy star you want to make sure you’re his only woman and get that sparkler on your finger." It’s not a strategy guide, she insists. It’s a parody. A mockery of the tabloid obsession with athletes’ partners. "Anybody who takes it as fact has completely missed the mark."
The book, which Sportskeeda later reported was published in 2012, was never meant to be taken seriously. It was recorded in a single afternoon, released on Audible as a joke, and sold a few hundred copies. Yet in the age of algorithm-driven outrage, satire doesn’t stand a chance. The irony? The very culture she was mocking — the reduction of women to "WAGs" — became the lens through which her life was now judged.
The Age Gap That Became a Weapon
Strickland’s attack zeroed in on the 14-year age difference between Garry (born 1998) and Anna-Lee (born circa 1984). "You’re getting old and still wanted to be famous," he wrote. "You preyed on a kid."
Anna-Lee didn’t deny the gap. Instead, she called out the double standard. "The mere act of aging has become a contentious point," she said. "If a 40-year-old man marries a 26-year-old woman, he’s a ‘mature provider.’ If a woman marries someone younger, she’s a predator? That’s not logic. That’s misogyny dressed up as concern."
Her tone was measured, but the message was sharp: society tolerates older men with younger women. It doesn’t tolerate the reverse. And it certainly doesn’t forgive a woman for having once joked about it.
From Las Vegas to the Octagon: The Real Story
Anna-Lee and Garry met in early 2021, not through any calculated scheme, but through mutual friends in London’s fitness scene. They announced their engagement in September 2021 and married in a surprise ceremony in Las Vegas in February 2022. Their first child arrived in early 2023. There’s no evidence of manipulation. No leaked texts. No hidden agendas. Just two people who fell in love — one a former TV presenter turned lifestyle content creator, the other a disciplined athlete on the rise.
Then came the name change. In a move that surprised fans, Garry began competing as Ian Machado Garry, adopting Anna-Lee’s maiden name. Rumors exploded: "He’s taking her ex-husband’s name!" they claimed. The truth? "Machado" is Anna-Lee’s family name, inherited from her British-Spanish heritage. Her ex-husband, Richard Cullen, a 40-year-old sports nutritionist, has no connection to the name. Garry adopted it, she says, "out of love, not manipulation." They’ve repeatedly denied rumors that Cullen lives with them — claims that resurfaced in April 2025 after Joaquin Buckley mocked Garry at UFC Kansas City with the phrase, "I don’t speak Cuck-anese," echoing Strickland’s earlier slur.
Why This Isn’t Just About a Book
The term "WAG" — Wives and Girlfriends — exploded during the 2006 World Cup, when British media turned Victoria Beckham and Cheryl Cole into household names. But over time, it became a dehumanizing label, reducing women to accessories of male athletes. Anna-Lee’s book, however unintentional, became a lightning rod for that cultural toxicity.
"The outrage reveals more about her critics than it does about her," she said. And she’s right. The real story isn’t about a 13-year-old audio file. It’s about how society treats women who step outside traditional scripts. Who marry younger men. Who laugh at the absurdity of fame culture. Who refuse to be silent.
Garry, for his part, has stayed quiet publicly — except for one thing: a teaser for his upcoming documentary, in which he and Anna-Lee appear calm, collected, and unbothered. "We’re not here to win a popularity contest," he says in the clip. "We’re here to fight. In the cage. And in life."
What’s Next? The UFC’s Quiet Dilemma
UFC has largely stayed out of the drama. But behind the scenes, PR teams are nervous. Strickland, despite his controversial past, remains a top draw. Garry is the future. Anna-Lee? She’s become an accidental symbol — of female agency, of satire misread, of the internet’s hunger to turn personal lives into moral panic.
Strickland hasn’t retracted his comments. Buckley hasn’t apologized. And Anna-Lee? She’s still posting. Still laughing. Still living. "I didn’t write a book to trap anyone," she told a friend off-camera. "I wrote it because I was bored. And because I thought it was funny."
Turns out, sometimes the funniest thing is how seriously people take it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Was Layla Anna-Lee’s book really a guide for women to marry athletes?
No. Anna-Lee described the 11-page audio release as a satirical parody of WAG culture, not a manual. It was never marketed as instructional, sold in minimal quantities, and was never intended to be taken seriously. The most quoted lines — like those about "getting the sparkler" — were exaggerated for comedic effect, mirroring the absurd headlines of tabloids at the time.
Why did Ian Garry adopt the name Machado?
Ian Garry adopted "Machado" — Layla Anna-Lee’s maiden name — as a personal tribute to her heritage and their relationship. It has no connection to her ex-husband, Richard Cullen. The UFC officially lists him as Ian Machado Garry, and both have repeatedly denied rumors that he took his wife’s ex’s name, calling those claims baseless and malicious.
Is the 14-year age gap between Layla and Ian unusual in UFC?
Not at all. Age gaps of 10+ years are common in MMA relationships, though media scrutiny is often uneven. Male fighters like Anderson Silva (married to a woman 16 years younger) faced little backlash. Female partners of younger fighters, however, are frequently subjected to invasive speculation — revealing a gendered double standard in how relationships are judged.
What’s the origin of the term "WAG" and why is it controversial?
"WAG" emerged during the 2006 FIFA World Cup to describe the glamorous partners of British footballers. Originally a media invention, it quickly became a reductive label that erased individual identity. Many, including Anna-Lee, now consider it offensive for reducing women to their relationship status. The term is rarely used in serious journalism today, but it persists in online trolling and clickbait.
Why did Sean Strickland target Layla Anna-Lee specifically?
Strickland has a history of using inflammatory rhetoric to provoke attention, often targeting opponents’ personal lives. His attack on Anna-Lee appears to be an extension of his pattern — leveraging cultural anxieties around age, gender, and fame to generate outrage. He has not addressed the satire claim, nor has he apologized for calling her a "predator," despite no evidence supporting the accusation.
Has Layla Anna-Lee faced similar criticism before?
Yes. When she first began dating Garry in 2021, British tabloids speculated she was "milking" his fame. In 2022, rumors swirled that she pressured him into marriage. She’s been accused of using her platform to exploit athletes since her 2010 book resurfaced. But in every case, she’s maintained the same stance: she’s not a gold-digger. She’s a woman who made a joke — and got punished for it.
