Sean Strickland ended his hopes of regaining the UFC middleweight belt by losing to Dricus Du Plessis. While Strickland claimed to aim for a stand-up striking contest, he did indeed get his wish fulfilled. Unfortunately, things didn’t go his way and Strickland lost quite comprehensively. Now, after the loss, there were a lot of questions regarding Strickland’s way of approaching the title fight. Even his coach could not contain his frustrations regarding the same.
Lashing out at ‘Tarzan’ publicly, Eric Nicksick criticized his fighting style. While that did not sit well with Strickland, UFC veteran Chael Sonnen seems to be in support of Nicksick. Appearing in a recent video, Sonnen stated that Nicksick was pretty much direct in his approach.
Sonnen stated, “Eric Nicksick, as a coach, was very direct. He did not use a lot of words and he did not mince them and he not waste anyone’s time. He didn’t threaten to walk out, he didn’t bring money into it, he didn’t bring anything personal into it, he didn’t even bring profanity into it.”
Sonnen also backed Nicksick saying that such clear communication is very much required for the betterment of the athletes. Unfortunately, despite Sonnen giving his vote to Eric Nicksick, it seems that Sean Strickland is done with his coach.
Sean Strickland Parts Ways With Eric Nicksick
Following Eric Nicksick’s frustrations in his interview, Strickland seemed to be affected significantly. Delivering a somber update, ‘Tarzan’ mentioned that he has decided to call it quits with his longtime coach.
Strickland posted a video on his social media to break the news. He said, “I like Eric, he’s a friend of mine and he’s gonna continue to be a friend of mine. Will he be in my corner, probably not.”
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Sean Strickland reacts to Eric Nicksick’s recent comments about his performance at #UFC312:
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) February 12, 2025
“I like Eric, he’s a friend of mine and he’s gonna continue to be a friend of mine.
Will he be in my corner, probably not.”
🎥 @SStricklandMMA #UFC #MMA
pic.twitter.com/afWvhM36ld
Well, throughout the entirety of the bout, Nicksick constantly pushed Strickland to be more aggressive. However, the former champion looked quite timid and, thus, suffered a unanimous decision defeat. Therefore, with things looking complicated, it remains to be seen how things will pan out in the future.
Also Read: Sean Strickland vs. Dricus Du Plessis 2 Payouts Revealed: Who Earned The Most At UFC 312?
