Following Sean Strickland’s current defeat towards Dricus du Plessis at UFC 312, his head coach Eric Nicksick voiced sturdy criticism of Strickland’s efficiency in an interview with Ariel Helwani.
Sean Strickland’s Coach Disillusioned
Throughout the UFC 312 championship bout, Nicksick repeatedly urged Sean Strickland to deviate from his predictable preventing type. Regardless of a yr of preparation with a top-tier teaching crew, Strickland repeated the identical jab-heavy technique from their earlier match. Nicksick was heard advising Strickland to diversify his assaults, however Strickland didn’t heed the recommendation.
Speakuing in an interview with Ariel Helwani, Eric Nicksick mentioned:
“He needs to evaluate what he wants to do in the sport. If its just to make money, great, let us know. I want to coach world champs, so my motivations are different. For him to show up and not back it up was uninspiring”
Nicksick mentioned Strickland wants to judge his motivations within the sport. He added that Strickland’s failure to ship on his guarantees was uninspiring and disappointing. The loss at UFC 312 marks Strickland’s second defeat to Du Plessis, diminishing the rapid prospects of one other title shot until circumstances drastically change.
The struggle resulted in a unanimous resolution victory for Du Plessis, with one notable second being when Du Plessis broke Strickland’s nostril within the fourth spherical. Regardless of the damage, Strickland accomplished the struggle, although he was unable to regain management.
Following the match, Strickland’s efficiency has been met with combined reactions. Whereas some observers have criticized Strickland’s efficiency, others, like former UFC middleweight champion Luke Rockhold, have accused Strickland of “basically quitting” after breaking his nostril. Din Thomas has additionally criticized Strickland for not residing as much as his pre-fight guarantees, saying that Strickland is just not who he says he’s.
Sean Strickland and his teaching crew might want to consider his preventing type and his future within the sport. The uninspiring loss did little to develop his fan base or seize UFC gold. The long run for Strickland within the UFC middleweight division seems doubtful.
