UFC fighter Sean Strickland has addressed his coach Eric Nicksick’s critical remarks following his recent loss to Dricus du Plessis at UFC 312 in Sydney, where he lost unanimously in a middleweight title fight. This setback marks Strickland’s second defeat to du Plessis, prompting Nicksick to openly express disappointment on The Ariel Helwani Show. He labelled Strickland’s performance as “underwhelming” and suggested that both the coaching staff and Strickland himself need to reassess their commitment to the sport.
Despite Nicksick’s harsh critique, which is unusual for a coach to voice publicly, Strickland has shown a degree of understanding. He acknowledged via social media that, although he still regards Nicksick as a friend, their professional collaboration may not continue. Strickland described the training camp leading up to the fight as challenging and accepted that excuses are irrelevant to the outcomes they faced. Currently, he holds a record of 29-7 and finds himself out of the championship race in the competitive 185-pound division.