It’s fair to say that Sean Strickland’s pre-fight talk and his actual performances inside the Octagon don’t always align. His brash, unfiltered banter is as wild and unpredictable as they come—reminiscent of Trevor from GTA V. However, when it’s time to back up that chaos in the cage, the former middleweight champion has, at times, looked more like Lester—calculated, cautious, and far less explosive than his persona suggests.
It is natural to see why Strickland’s lackluster and uninspiring performance at UFC 312 didn’t sit well with his coach, Eric Nicksick. The Xtreme Couture head coach later voiced his frustration, stating that he now only wants to train champion-caliber fighters. His remarks sparked debate within the MMA community, with former two-division champion Daniel Cormier taking issue with Nicksick’s stance, which in turn drew a response from veteran MMA referee ‘Big’ John McCarthy.
Backing Strickland, Cormier argued that not every fighter breaches the upper echelon of greatness like Jon Jones or Khabib Nurmagomedov and criticized Nicksick for seemingly turning his back on his protege. “Not everyone is going to be a world champ. You don’t get to coach all world champs,” DC said on his YouTube channel.
However, McCarthy saw things differently, disagreeing with Cormier’s interpretation of Nicksick’s comments. He clarified that the coach wasn’t dismissing Strickland outright but rather expressing his desire to work with fighters who are driven by more than just financial gain. “I think DC’s wrong. When Eric sits there and says, ‘Hey, if you wanna be that fighter that is fighting for money, I understand that and that’s okay. But I wanna work with people who want to be world champions.’ He’s not [wrong],” John McCarthy stated on the Weighing In podcast.
“What Eric is saying is not that, ‘Oh, I cannot work with people that are going to be champions.’ That’s not what he’s saying. He’s saying, ‘I want people to have this goal. I want people who are going to give everything to reach this goal… I don’t care about your paycheck. I care about what you’re trying to do.”
Strickland has claimed in the past that he only cares about making money and not the championship belt. But the fact that he didn’t try hard enough to give Dricus Du Plessis a run for his money as he did at UFC 297 is what McCarthy claims to be the real issue with the Xtreme Couture head honcho. “If you’re the guy that’s going for the end thing, even if you never get it, I’m a 100 percent with you.’ That’s what he’s saying,” McCarthy added.
MMA: UFC 224- Zaleski dos Santos vs Strickland, May 12, 2018 Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil Sean Strickland before a fight against Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos during UFC 224 at Jeunesse Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jason Silva-USA TODAY Sports, 12.05.2018 07:01:01, 10832675, MMA PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xJasonxSilvax 10832675
While it remains to be seen how Daniel Cormier reacts to this response, Sean Strickland has opened up on the situation with Eric Nicksick, and it seems like their partnership may have come to an end.
Eric Nicksick will ‘probably not’ corner Sean Strickland, according to the former champion
Sean Strickland has made it clear that his bond with Eric Nicksick remains strong—not just as a coach, but as a friend. However, their professional partnership may be coming to an end. Following Nicksick’s public criticism of Strickland after his loss at UFC 312, ‘Tarzan’ revealed there’s a strong chance fans won’t see the Xtreme Couture coach in his corner anymore.
“I like Eric. He’s a friend of mine and he’s going to continue to be a friend of mine. Will he probably be in my corner? Probably not. We have so many great guys at Xtreme [Couture],” Sean Strickland stated in a video he posted on social media. “We have so many savages that I would love to corner me.”
Moreover, Strickland also added that he struggled a bit during camp, but he didn’t speak about them since he didn’t want to make any excuses. It will be interesting to see what lies ahead for both Eric Nicksick and Sean Strickland, now that they seem to be on different pages. Nevertheless, let us know your thoughts on the former’s decision to train fighters who want to become champions.
The post “DC Is Wrong” – ‘Big’ John McCarthy Challenges Daniel Cormier’s Verdict Defending Sean Strickland From Eric Nicksick’s Criticisms appeared first on EssentiallySports.
