Former UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland failed to back up his promise of delivering an epic battle inside the Octagon to the fans in attendance at UFC 312 last Saturday.
Throughout fight week, Strickland’s coach Eric Nicksick spoke repeatedly about how close the first battle against Dricus Du Plessis just over a year ago had been, and both Nicksick and Strickland had vowed that the American would turn up the heat on his South African rival this time around.
Nicksick, who traveled to corner Strickland in the main event, watched as Strickland delivered a lackluster performance, ultimately losing to “Stillknocks”by unanimous decision.
Nicksick Addresses Strickland's Performance
Strickland's disappointing outing has drawn significant criticism, especially given the bold pre-fight claims he made, including his willingness to fight du Plessis "to the death." On Wednesday, Nicksick appeared on The Ariel Helwani Show to address the backlash, acknowledging that some of it was justified.
When asked if the criticism was fair, Nicksick didn't hold back. “We have to be honest,” he said. “It was an underwhelming performance, especially considering the opportunity to fight for a title. There are fighters who will never even get a chance like that, and that should be enough to motivate anyone to perform. Unfortunately, Sean didn’t deliver.”
He continued, “This is on all of us—myself, the coaching staff, and Sean. He needs to take a hard look at what he truly wants from this sport. If it’s just about making money, that’s fine, but we need to know. My goal is to coach world champions, and when we don’t back up the talk, it’s disheartening.”
Despite the loss, Nicksick emphasized that he’s open to discussing Strickland’s future goals, particularly if he’s still serious about pursuing another title shot. He also acknowledged Strickland’s commitment to showing up at the gym and being a solid teammate, despite the tough loss.
However, Nicksick is still processing what went wrong on fight night and how the team can move forward from the setback.
