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Eric Nicksick Stands by Sean Strickland Criticism but Admits Going on Ariel Helwani Was a Mistake

Eric Nicksick Stands by Sean Strickland Criticism but Admits Going on Ariel Helwani Was a Mistake Days after shredding Sean Strickland over his performance at UFC 312, coach Eric Nicksick knew he’d f*cked up. Strickland…

Days after shredding Sean Strickland over his performance at UFC 312, coach Eric Nicksick knew he’d f*cked up.

Strickland came up short in his long-awaited rematch with reigning middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis in Sydney, Australia, delivering a lackluster performance en route to a decisive unanimous decision defeat. Strickland’s poor outing was made all the more worse by the fact that the fighter had challenged ‘DDP’ to fight him “to the death” 48 hours earlier.

Addressing his fighters’ shortcomings on an episode of The Ariel Helwani Show following UFC 312, Nicksick called Strickland’s showing “uninspired” and that it seemed like he was “sleepwalking” through the whole 25-minute affair.

Nicksick then went on to suggest that if Strickland is not interested in becoming a world champion once again, he may need to look for another coach.

“It was just uninspired fighting to me,” Nicksick said. “It just seemed like he was sleepwalking. … It was a tough 25 minutes to travel all the way out there. Let’s not forget, this was a title fight. I take these title fights very seriously, and I don’t know. I was just very disappointed, man. I was disappointed with the whole entire outcome and the whole fight as a process. I just thought it was kind of flat.”

Nicksick continued, “I think he needs to evaluate what he wants to do in this sport. If it’s just to make money, then that’s great. Let us know. I want to coach world champions, so my motivations are different.”

Getting wind of Nicksick’s comments, Strickland launched a lengthy response on X revealing that Nicksick likely won’t be in his corner going forward.

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— Sean Strickland (@SStricklandMMA) February 12, 2025

Eric Nicksick express regret after lambasting Strickland over UFC 312 loss

Looking back on all the drama during a recent episode of his Verse Us podcast, Nicksick stood by the message he delivered on Helwani’s show but admitted that his delivery could have been a lot better.

“And it was very disappointing to hear where his headspace was and what his thought process was about being a champion or all these things. And that’s personal. I should have known better. I took that energy and had to process that while I go on Ariel’s show. I f*cked up. I f*cked up. … I made a miscalculation in that moment in ever accepting to go on the show. My wording was piss poor.

“What I said was accurate—the fight was uninspiring. We all know Sean. That is not how Sean fights. What I said was accurate. Am I to shoulder some of that blame? 100%. I made a calculated error on that part. But what I was trying to do, in a roundabout way, was challenge my fighter to perform better the next time out.”

Eric Nicksick Addresses Backlash To Public Criticism Of Sean Strickland After UFC 312: ‘I Made A Mistake…’

Coach Eric Nicksick has spoken out regarding the reaction to how he responded to Sean Strickland’s failed attempt at reclaiming the UFC middleweight title earlier this month. The Xtreme Couture trainer was Down Under in Sydney, Australia earlier this month to corner Strickland at UFC 312. The former champion headlined in competition for Dricus Du […]

Coach Eric Nicksick has spoken out regarding the reaction to how he responded to Sean Strickland’s failed attempt at reclaiming the UFC middleweight title earlier this month.

The Xtreme Couture trainer was Down Under in Sydney, Australia earlier this month to corner Strickland at UFC 312. The former champion headlined in competition for Dricus Du Plessis’ gold.

While the South African had narrowly fallen on the right side of a split decision in their first fight, the rematch was far more convincing, with “Stillknocks” cruising to a lopsided decision victory across five rounds.

Strickland received plenty of flak for his performance, not least from his head coach. Nicksick gave a brutal assessment of his pupil, branding his attempt at winning back the middleweight belt “uninspiring” and questioning his motivation.

The 33-year-old evidently didn’t take too kindly to the public review, expressing plans to switch up his corner team moving forward while addressing the criticism in a social media video.

A number of other prominent names in the MMA space, from Daniel Cormier to Matt Brown, have also spoken out against Nicksick’s decision to publicly slate his fighter. And in the comments section of an MMA Fighting Instagram post showing “The Immortal’s” remarks on it, Strickland’s coach admitted to making an error.

“@iamtheimmortal I agree, Matt, looking back at it I made a mistake,” Nicksick admitted. “My true intentions were to try and motivate him publicly, and that was a miscalculation on my part.”

It remains to be seen whether Strickland will push through with his plans to utilize new personnel for his next corner in spite of Nicksick acknowledging his mistake.

Sean Strickland Basks in the Chaos of USA’s Big Win Over Canada: ‘I Love Me Some Hockey Fights’

Sean Strickland loves himself some hockey fights. Recently, the former UFC middleweight champion took to social media to share…

Sean Strickland loves himself some hockey fights.

Recently, the former UFC middleweight champion took to social media to share his love for scraps on 200-foot-long slabs of ice. Strickland’s comment was also accompanied by a clip from the USA vs. Canada game on February 15 that saw the Americans score three unanswered goals to walk away with a big win at the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament.

“I love me some hockey fights,” Strickland wrote on X.

And just to hammer home how awesome hockey fights can truly be, here are NBC Sports’ 10 greatest hockey fights of all time for no particular reason.

Sean Strickland blames Canada for his first loss to Dricus Du Plessis

Strickland may appreciate Canada’s national sport, but he’s by no means a fan of the country itself. After coming up short via a razor-close split decision against Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 297, ‘Tarzan’ expressed his frustration with not getting an immediate rematch and even went so far as to blame Canada (pun not intended) for not leaving Toronto with the middleweight title still strapped around his waist.

“You know I don’t care about fight politics or a belt,” Strickland posted. “But, it makes me laugh they give Izzy a rematch to Alex [Pereira] after getting slept. I lost a close decision that Dana [White] himself thought I won. Everyone did. The stats did. That needs to be run back.

“And man, I don’t want to pull this card, but when does the Champ ever lose a close fight?” he added. “When you’re in Canada with a bunch of dirty f*cking leftists.”

Unfortunately, Strickland can’t blame Canada for coming up short against ‘DDP’ once again at UFC 312. That one was all him.

Gilbert Burns Defends Sean Strickland Amidst UFC 312 Criticism: ‘People Have Very Short Memories’

UFC 312 might be over but Sean Strickland’s disappointing performance is still on many fans’ radar. Apparently, after frequently promising a violent war against Dricus Du Plessis, he couldn’t deliver and the fight was a one-sided bashing. Although many have complained about Strickland not walking the talk, top welterweight contender Gilbert Burns feels differently. The […]

The Brazilian is among the few fighters defending Strickland when even the latter’s long-time coach, Eric Nicksick, has shifted grounds.

In a recent episode of Show Me The Money podcast, the former title challenger called out critics who’re questioning Strickland’s legacy based on one loss:

“Another thing, Sean didn’t get the defense. Sean was falling, I don’t know, maybe he wasn’t feeling good, whatever. We’re never going to know, right? But to say, ‘Oh, he talks a lot, he doesn’t back it up,’ I don’t like that. I think the guy backs it up many times. He backed it up against Imavov, he backed it up against my guy Brendan Allen, he backed it up against so many guys, right? Paulo Costa, Adesanya, bro, he beat a lot of the best guys, and people are saying, ‘Oh, he just talks, he doesn’t do much.’ I think that’s very disrespectful.”

Burns claimed that people’s memories have become photographic in the modern world as they’ve clearly forgot Strickland’s impressive wins over Nassourdine Imavov, Paulo Costa, Israel Adesanya, and Brendan Allen.

“People have very short memories, it’s the reels day, you know? It’s the TikTok days where you swipe, you see something nice, swipe again, and then it’s gone. But it wasn’t long ago the guy was the champion, fighting everybody. He beat so many good guys, and people are just saying, “Oh, he talks a lot, he’s crazy,” but I like it. And the guy backs it up, or he tries at least.”

Burns last fought Sean Brady in September 2024, and is scheduled to return on UFC 314 on April 12, 2025. The veteran is on a three-fight losing streak and only a solid win can help him remain in the title race.

The Brazilian’s opponent for the Miami card, Michael Morales, certainly poses a big threat. Standing a decade younger, he’s among the very few elite fighters on an undefeated run. Coming out of a TKO win over Neil Magny, Morales will try to add another big name to his resume to rise quickly in the rankings.

As for Strickland, he’s still the no. 2 ranked UFC middleweight contender in the world. From rematches with Imavov, Costa, and Adesanya to fresh fights against Robert Whittaker, Khamzat Chimaev, and Caio Borralho, he has plenty of options on the table for his imminent return to the Octagon.

“Excuse King” Fan Reactions of Sean Strickland Firing Coach Eric Nicksick Has the MMA Community Divided

Fans are divided over Sean Strickland’s reaction to his UFC 312 loss and the fallout with his coach, Eric…

Fans are divided over Sean Strickland’s reaction to his UFC 312 loss and the fallout with his coach, Eric Nicksick. While some admire Strickland’s toughness others criticize his performance and lack of aggression against Dricus Du Plessis. Strickland had a list of issues with him, the fight, and his coach on social media in a recent post.

Sean Strickland Fires Coach Eric Nicksick

Sean Strickland recently responded to his coach Eric Nicksick’s public criticism of his performance in the UFC 312 title fight against Dricus Du Plessis. Nicksick had described Strickland’s showing as “uninspired” and “sleepwalking,” criticizing his lack of urgency and failure to adapt during the fight. The coach also questioned Strickland’s motivations in the sport, stating that he wanted to work with fighters aiming for championships.

In his response on social media, Sean Strickland acknowledged that his training camp was extremely challenging, citing issues such as a staph infection, a broken arm, and visa complications. Despite these struggles, he refused to make excuses for his loss, emphasizing that setbacks are part of the sport. Strickland expressed frustration with Nicksick airing grievances publicly and hinted at a professional split, stating that while they remain friends, Nicksick will “probably not” be in his corner moving forward. He also reaffirmed his commitment to fighting and vowed to return stronger.

UFC fans were mixed in their responses to the situation:

“Yes, time to move away to a different coach.”

“Excuse king “

“I think Eric was trying to light a fire under Sean’s ass. Sean seems hard to reach. He wasn’t listening to Eric in between rounds at all.”

“Embarrassing excuse making nonsense, dude got paid and lost his passion for fighting. Sad way to go out…”

“Talk like a bee, sting like a butterfly.”

“”No excuses.” 4 minute video of excuses. Dude cannot take criticism for sh*t lol.”

“As predicted Sean Strickland comes out with a laundry list of excuses for why he didn’t fight against Dricus He also says Eric Nicksick won’t be in his corner again after what he said on Ariel Helwani’s show

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— Sean Strickland (@SStricklandMMA) February 12, 2025

The fallout between Sean Strickland and his coach Eric Nicksick following UFC 312 has left fans deeply divided. While some admire Strickland’s resilience and ability to fight through adversity, others criticize his lack of aggression and failure to adapt during the bout. As the dust settles, it remains to be seen how this rift will impact Strickland’s future in the octagon.

Sean Strickland Ousts Eric Nicksick From His Corner Team After Public Criticism Of UFC 312 Performance

While former UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland doesn’t appear to have any animosity toward his “friend” Eric Nicksick, he seemingly isn’t expecting the renowned coach to lead his corner next time out. After sharing a special night in Sydney back in 2023 courtesy of a memorable upset win over Israel Adesanya, Strickland and Nicksick were […]

After sharing a special night in Sydney back in 2023 courtesy of a memorable upset win over Israel Adesanya, Strickland and Nicksick were back Down Under last week challenging the reign of Dricus Du Plessis.

They narrowly failed to crack the South African’s puzzle 13 months ago in Canada, and the polarizing American was even further from having his hand raised second time around.

In the main event of UFC 312 on Saturday, Strickland fell to a lopsided decision defeat after a disappointing display across five rounds that has garnered him plenty of flak from the MMA community. And perhaps the most vocally critical this week was the Xtreme Couture standout’s head coach and cornerman.

During an appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show, Nicksick didn’t hold back in his assessment of Strickland’s performance, branding it “uninspiring.” Many have eagerly anticipated the ex-champ’s reaction to those remarks, and he provided them a day later in a video posted on X.

In addition to outlining his plan to utilize different individuals in his corner moving forward, Strickland highlighted some of the adversity he had to overcome during fight camp for UFC 312.

“Alright, you guys keep tagging me about this whole Eric thing,” Strickland began. “I like Eric; he’s a friend of mine, and he’s going to continue to be a friend of mine. Will he be in my corner? Probably not. We have so many great guys at Xtreme…we have so many savages who I would love to corner me. … That entire (UFC 312) fight camp was just a struggle. Guys, we all have exuses as to why we didn’t win…and they don’t f*cking matter.

“The only reason why I’m making this video is because Eric had to go do a f*cking podcast and become an influencer, so now I’ve got to kind of explain myself. Opportunity never comes when it’s supposed to. … You must say yes. This is not an excuse, but that entire camp was just a struggle of, ‘I’m good, I’m good,’ knowing I’m not good,” Strickland continued. “Whether it be the staph infection, the broken arm, having to get a visa that didn’t get approved until a week (before), not being able to get cornerman out there; this entire camp was a struggle of, ‘I’m not good,’ but me looking in the mirror and saying, ‘Sack up!’”

The 33-year-old also touched on Nicksick’s questioning of his motivation when it comes to a continued career in fighting.

While the renowned trainer stated in no uncertain terms that he’s only interested in coaching those who aspire to be a world champion, Strickland enters the Octagon for a different reason.

“You guys, I don’t fight to put belts on the wall. I don’t fight because Eric wants to go do a fancy podcast,” Strickland stated. “Before fighting, you guys, I had the lowest self-esteem. I couldn’t even look at myself in the f*cking mirror. Through fighting, I’ve learned so much, met so many amazing people. … You guys have changed my f*cking life. You’ve made me grow so much as a person, in the ring and out of the ring. That’s why I fight.”

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— Sean Strickland (@SStricklandMMA) February 12, 2025