“I see his success because…” PFL title contender Sadibou Sy unveils the hidden key to training partner Sean Strickland’s championship victory

FirstSportz’ Ajinkya Aswale conducted an exclusive interview with the 2022 PFL Welterweight Tournament winner, Sadibou Sy. The fighter discussed his back-to-back PFL finalist achievement. He stressed the hard work and sacrifices that put him in the position. Moreover, having trained with Sean Strickland, he was not at all surprised by Strickland defeating Israel Adesanya at UFC 293.

This is what Sy had to say about Sean Strickland becoming the undisputed UFC middleweight champion:

Yeah, he trains the way he fights, which is why you see him being successful because he actually works on what he wants to do in the fight. So that's why, for me, I'm never surprised when I see his success because I see him put in the work in the gym and I see how much he can do.

Sadibou Sy via FirstSportz MMA.

Sy is set to face Magomed Magomedkerimov at PFL 10, a rematch of the 2021 PFL Welterweight sem-final. The Swedish Denzel Washington is on a remarkable seven-fight winning streak since his defeat to Magomedkerimov. This would be Sy’s fourth training camp of 2023. The rematch with Magomedkerimov offers a chance at redemption for Sy.

Sy is not against the crossover fights. He had good words about influencers like Jake Paul dedicating their valuable time to combat sports. However, his focus as of now is solely on Magomed Magomedkerimov. Sy is an underdog for the fight, but momentum is definitely on the side of Sy. Like Sy, Magomedkerimov is also a former winner of the PFL Welterweight Tournament. Magomedkerimov won the tournament in 2018.

Sadibou Sy explains training with Sean Strickland at Extreme Couture

Extreme Couture is home to many elite fighters. Eric Nicksick is the head coach of the gym located in Las Vegas. Notable fighters who train at Extreme Couture include Sean Strickland, Francis Ngannou, and Magomed Ankalaev. Moreover, Darren Till, Khamzat Chimaev, Marvin Vettori, and others have trained at the gym. In the recent interview of Sadibau Sy by FirstSportz Ajinkya Aswale, Sy explains his training sessions with Sean Strickland.

This is what Sy had to say about training with Sean Strickland at Extreme Couture:

First and foremost when it comes to him and why I like the thing that I like with him is he always puts me in deep waters, which means he's big, he's strong, he's heavier than I am, and he always goes forward. So he's always going to be tired, and you always have to be in great shape by just sparring with him, right? So just being in that environment week in, week out has made me much more relaxed when I'm in the cage. That's why I always train with him, even though he doesn't look like any of my opponents stylistically. I always make sure I go with him, and I believe that's also part of the growth for me. We help each other a lot. He asks me for advice, I ask him for advice, and we're honest with each other, and we push each other.

Sadibou Sy via FirstSportz MMA

In addition to Sean Strickland, Sy has also trained with Khamzat Chimaev. Sy praised Chimaev for his hard-fought victory over Kamaru Usman at UFC 294. Moreover, he also had great words to say about Francis Ngannou, who performed well against Tyson Fury in their boxing bout against all expectations.

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