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Sean Strickland’s Coach Drops Bombshell DM From Dricus du Plessis Before UFC Title Rematch

Sean Strickland, Dricus du Plessis Former UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland is on a second collision course with Dricus du Plessis, as the current…

Former UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland is on a second collision course with Dricus du Plessis, as the current titleholder seemed to confirm in a recent text.

Du Plessis captured the UFC middleweight title by defeating Strickland in an instant classic at UFC 297. It was a back-and-forth war from start to finish, and du Plessis walked away with the split decision victory.

After defending the belt against Israel Adesanya at UFC 305, du Plessis will likely face Strickland for his second title defense. Strickland got back on track with a largely-dominant win over Paulo Costa in June.

While the first buildup to du Plessis vs. Strickland got personal, things might take a more respectful turn this time around.

Coach Eric Nicksick shares text from Dricus du Plessis ahead of Sean Strickland rematch

In a recent interview with MMA Fighting, coach Eric Nicksick revealed a classy message from du Plessis ahead of the Strickland run-back.

“It’s hard to emulate what Dricus does because he’s very unorthodox but knows what he’s doing in his own style. There are so many things that we didn’t do right [at UFC 297]… I’m looking forward to this matchup again, Dricus wrote [to] me a couple of days ago, he’s like, ‘Yo, I’m excited to go against you again bro,’” Nicksick said of the Du Plessis vs. Strickland rematch. “I have all the love and respect for Dricus and his team, but this is our job.” (h/t SportsKeeda)

Du Plessis is undefeated in his UFC tenure with wins against the likes of Robert Whittaker, Derek Brunson, and Darren Till. He’s emerged as one of the top pound-for-pound fighters in the world despite an unorthodox style.

Du Plessis vs. Strickland 2 could kick off the 2025 UFC slate almost a full year after their first fight. In the meantime, both sides seem transfixed on their rematch ahead of a likely announcement.

Inside UFC 303: Coach’s Perspective on Dan Ige’s Pivotal Fight

On June 30, Eric Nicksick knew that he would be heading to the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas but he didn’t realize that Dan Ige would be coming with him. UFC 303 produced one of the most remarkable stories in the history of the promotion as Ige agreed to step in and face Diego Lopes […]

Continue Reading Inside UFC 303: Coach’s Perspective on Dan Ige’s Pivotal Fight at MMA News.

On June 30, Eric Nicksick knew that he would be heading to the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas but he didn’t realize that Dan Ige would be coming with him.

UFC 303 produced one of the most remarkable stories in the history of the promotion as Ige agreed to step in and face Diego Lopes in the co-main event all within the space of a few hours.

After receiving the call from his fighter, Nicksick (who was already cornering on the card), immediately got to work in order to make this happen.

He picked up his fighter’s cup from Xtreme Couture and under Ige’s instructions, assembled a corner on short notice.

Nicksick quickly arranged to meet with both Kai Kamaka III and Sean Strickland who he knew were in Vegas, breaking up the former middleweight champion’s lunch date with his girlfriend.

All of these details and more recently came out when he gave his side to this incredible story.

Eric Nicksick Says Dan Ige Is Always Looking And Staying Ready For Opportunities Like This

During his appearance on the Jaxxon Podcast, Nicksick detailed what the crazy turnaround of UFC 303 looked like from his perspective.

He also revealed that taking fights on short notice to try and save the card is something that Ige regularly has his eye on in case something exactly like this happens.

With him being in shape and training out of Las Vegas, he was the perfect fighter to step in for Brian Ortega who withdrew due to illness.

“Here’s the thing about Dan. Every card, he’ll look at the landscape of the division or the card, for example, and be like, ‘hey this dude at 55, there’s these two fights at 45, whatever. Take a peek at it, let me know if something comes up short notice, I’m always down to take these types of fights, especially if the juice is worth the squeeze’ and in this particular situation, it was and he jumped on it man.”

Nicksick also said that though they didn’t get the win, he’s glad that Ige was able to pull this off because it shows what’s possible if you’re prepared.

He went from any old Saturday to fighting in the co-main event of International Fight Week all because he was ready to stick his hand up when the UFC called and said they needed a guy.

“That’s what makes me the most proud about the situation is that anytime there’s an opportunity like that, our team can pick up the phone and answer the call. Chris Curtis, Sean Strickland, Roman Dolidze, Dan Ige, you know, and I think it sets a precedence amongst the rest of the team to know what is possible if you’re f****** prepared and you’re ready to go and you’re doing all the right things day in and day out, even if you’re outside of camp. Those opportunities come once in a lifetime and are you willing to open the door when that door knocks.”

Continue Reading Inside UFC 303: Coach’s Perspective on Dan Ige’s Pivotal Fight at MMA News.

Inside UFC 303: Coach’s Perspective on Dan Ige’s Pivotal Fight

Continue Reading Inside UFC 303: Coach’s Perspective on Dan Ige’s Pivotal Fight at MMA News.

On June 30, Eric Nicksick knew that he would be heading to the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas but he didn’t realize that Dan Ige would be coming with him.

UFC 303 produced one of the most remarkable stories in the history of the promotion as Ige agreed to step in and face Diego Lopes in the co-main event all within the space of a few hours.

After receiving the call from his fighter, Nicksick (who was already cornering on the card), immediately got to work in order to make this happen.

He picked up his fighter’s cup from Xtreme Couture and under Ige’s instructions, assembled a corner on short notice.

Nicksick quickly arranged to meet with both Kai Kamaka III and Sean Strickland who he knew were in Vegas, breaking up the former middleweight champion’s lunch date with his girlfriend.

All of these details and more recently came out when he gave his side to this incredible story.

Eric Nicksick Says Dan Ige Is Always Looking And Staying Ready For Opportunities Like This

During his appearance on the Jaxxon Podcast, Nicksick detailed what the crazy turnaround of UFC 303 looked like from his perspective.

He also revealed that taking fights on short notice to try and save the card is something that Ige regularly has his eye on in case something exactly like this happens.

With him being in shape and training out of Las Vegas, he was the perfect fighter to step in for Brian Ortega who withdrew due to illness.

“Here’s the thing about Dan. Every card, he’ll look at the landscape of the division or the card, for example, and be like, ‘hey this dude at 55, there’s these two fights at 45, whatever. Take a peek at it, let me know if something comes up short notice, I’m always down to take these types of fights, especially if the juice is worth the squeeze’ and in this particular situation, it was and he jumped on it man.”

Nicksick also said that though they didn’t get the win, he’s glad that Ige was able to pull this off because it shows what’s possible if you’re prepared.

He went from any old Saturday to fighting in the co-main event of International Fight Week all because he was ready to stick his hand up when the UFC called and said they needed a guy.

“That’s what makes me the most proud about the situation is that anytime there’s an opportunity like that, our team can pick up the phone and answer the call. Chris Curtis, Sean Strickland, Roman Dolidze, Dan Ige, you know, and I think it sets a precedence amongst the rest of the team to know what is possible if you’re f****** prepared and you’re ready to go and you’re doing all the right things day in and day out, even if you’re outside of camp. Those opportunities come once in a lifetime and are you willing to open the door when that door knocks.”

Continue Reading Inside UFC 303: Coach’s Perspective on Dan Ige’s Pivotal Fight at MMA News.

Francis Ngannou’s Coach Details Tom Aspinall Collaboration In Preparation For Renan Ferreira Fight

To prepare for his long awaited MMA return, Francis Ngannou is doing his training camp out in Paris before October 19. Any heavyweight in the sport will tell you that one of the biggest problems that they encounter is finding suitable training partners to work with. This is even more true when you’re preparing to […]

Continue Reading Francis Ngannou’s Coach Details Tom Aspinall Collaboration In Preparation For Renan Ferreira Fight at MMA News.

To prepare for his long awaited MMA return, Francis Ngannou is doing his training camp out in Paris before October 19.

Any heavyweight in the sport will tell you that one of the biggest problems that they encounter is finding suitable training partners to work with.

This is even more true when you’re preparing to fight a 6’8″ opponent in Renan Ferreira.

Team Ngannou’s problem could have been temporarily solved this week thanks to the UFC arriving in Paris for Saturday night’s event at the Accor Arena.

Ngannou’s coach, Eric Nicksick, has built a strong relationship with another of the world’s best heavyweights – whom he was hoping to cross paths with in the French capital.

Eric Nicksick Says He Would’ve Loved To Connect Ngannou & Aspinall

In a recent interview with ESPN MMA, Nicksick said that he hoped to connect Ngannou with the interim UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall this week.

Unfortunately, Aspinall wasn’t making the trip over for the fights on Saturday but the Xtreme Couture coach still thinks it could happen at some stage.

With both men being right at the top of their weight class in different promotions, the sparring videos alone would be PPV-worthy.

He said that the short distance between England and France means that Aspinall may be able to join their camp before they leave for Saudi Arabia.

Nicksick did say that though the Brit isn’t in town, he did offer to help out in a different way, by giving them a list of names who may be of use as sparring partners to mimic Ferreira.

“I was hoping that he’d [Aspinall] be out here and we’d get some training in and not saying it won’t happen, maybe it can before we get out of here because he’s like an hour flight away. He’s not too far away but he was gracious enough to send me some names of his training partners and guys that we could use and try to bring out here to help out Francis but he was all about it man and Tom’s been a great friend and a great guy to have in the circle.”

Continue Reading Francis Ngannou’s Coach Details Tom Aspinall Collaboration In Preparation For Renan Ferreira Fight at MMA News.

Sean Strickland’s Coach Points Out Weakness In Dricus Du Plessis Ahead Of Potential Rematch: ‘If The Wrestling Does Happen…’

Sean Strickland’s coach Eric Nicksick has already spoken about how a rematch with Dricus Du Plessis won’t need big changes from them. Their first encounter at UFC 297 where Du Plessis came away with a split decision to become the middleweight champion, was a closely contested affair over five rounds. Making small adjustments before running […]

Continue Reading Sean Strickland’s Coach Points Out Weakness In Dricus Du Plessis Ahead Of Potential Rematch: ‘If The Wrestling Does Happen…’ at MMA News.

Sean Strickland’s coach Eric Nicksick has already spoken about how a rematch with Dricus Du Plessis won’t need big changes from them.

Their first encounter at UFC 297 where Du Plessis came away with a split decision to become the middleweight champion, was a closely contested affair over five rounds.

Making small adjustments before running it back will be key because, as we saw in the first fight, there isn’t much to separate these two.

The fight was predominantly a striking exchange between them but the occasional takedown attempts from Du Plessis opened up some moments that they could capitalize on in the rematch, in Nicksick’s opinion.

Eric Nicksick Says Sean Strickland Can Use Transitional Grappling Against Dricus Du Plessis

Nicksick knows better than to expect his fighter to go out there in a title fight and start shooting for takedowns.

Strickland’s style is very set in its ways and we saw that when he faced elite strikers in Alex Pereira and Israel Adesanya, and didn’t once try to take the fight to the ground.

Where Nicksick feels they can have success after watching the first fight play out is in the transitions after Du Plessis attempts takedowns.

The Xtreme Couture head coach was able to take lessons from UFC 297 and the time he cornered Brad Tavares against “Stillknocks”, to find this one area.

“The one thing I will bring up that I feel like Sean doesn’t give himself enough credit for – so when Dricus took Sean down, there was some transitional grappling, things that I want to see Sean implement a little bit more. Sean never was really held down, we were never like taken down and laid on our back but there, Sean’s really good at hitting the switch and Sean’s really good at counterbalancing and taking the back to where I think Sean could implement a little ground and pound and top pressure himself.

“Anecdotally looking back at what Brad did, when Brad fought Dricus, Brad got on top and Brad rode Dricus all the first round so I think Dricus is a very good topside grappler, I don’t think he’s that great off his back so I’m not saying we need to go and initiate the wrestling but if the wrestling does happen, I think Sean can reverse those positions and get on top and create some havoc up there.”

Continue Reading Sean Strickland’s Coach Points Out Weakness In Dricus Du Plessis Ahead Of Potential Rematch: ‘If The Wrestling Does Happen…’ at MMA News.

Francis Ngannou’s Coach On UFC Deleting His Legacy: ‘It Takes Somebody Of Izzy’s Stature…’

Francis Ngannou is set to really begin the next chapter of his MMA career when he makes his long-awaited PFL debut against Renan Ferreira on October 19. Despite parting ways with the UFC in January of 2023, the former UFC heavyweight champion has been competing in boxing before taking some time off after tragically losing […]

Continue Reading Francis Ngannou’s Coach On UFC Deleting His Legacy: ‘It Takes Somebody Of Izzy’s Stature…’ at MMA News.

Francis Ngannou is set to really begin the next chapter of his MMA career when he makes his long-awaited PFL debut against Renan Ferreira on October 19.

Despite parting ways with the UFC in January of 2023, the former UFC heavyweight champion has been competing in boxing before taking some time off after tragically losing his son earlier this year.

In the meantime, his former home has done a few things that rubbed both Ngannou and his supporters the wrong way by not acknowledging what he achieved in the promotion.

One particular stat shown in August of last year listed Tafon Nchukwi as the first Cameroonian fighter to ever compete in the UFC, which was quickly corrected by Ngannou on social media.

Not only had they erased Ngannou on this occasion, they had also jumped past Thierry Sokoudjou who “The Predator” gave props to.

Eric Nicksick Says He Doesn’t Understand UFC’s Stance On Francis Ngannou

This lack of acknowledgment for Ngannou was brought up once again by Israel Adesanya during his media day interviews ahead of UFC 305.

Ngannou’s coach Eric Nicksick spoke about the impact that actions like this from “The Last Stylebender” have during a recent interview with Submission Radio.

He gave his opinion on Ngannou not being celebrated for his time in the UFC, stating that he can’t understand this way of handling the situation even if it did end on less than stellar terms.

“It just doesn’t make any sense. I think it’s like if you had this break-up but you still learn something or you still gained something from that relationship and I think it takes somebody of Izzy’s stature and nobility of like he cares so much about Francis that he has a platform and he speaks up about it. Good on Izzy for seeing these injustices and speaking up on it. It’s just silly. It just actually, I think it brings more light and more negative connotation to the situation.

“Had they just been like, ‘Oh hey man, you know, he was a great champion for us while he was here.’ You don’t have to promote the guy but when you’re doing a stat that said the first Cameroonian fighter in UFC history, like wait a minute, you had a couple guys that were in there. It is what it is man, it’s their promotion, it’s their business what they decide to do. I just would never really understand the purpose or reason why behind it.”

Continue Reading Francis Ngannou’s Coach On UFC Deleting His Legacy: ‘It Takes Somebody Of Izzy’s Stature…’ at MMA News.