Sean Strickland’s coach issue apology for ‘sleepwalking’ comment after ‘boyfriend-girlfriend’ analogy laid out by UFC KO artist

UFC veteran Matt Brown condemns Eric Nicksick’s public statement after Sean Strickland's title loss at UFC 312.

Sean Strickland’s coach issue apology for ‘sleepwalking’ comment after ‘boyfriend-girlfriend’ analogy laid out by UFC KO artist

Eric Nicksick shouldn't have criticized Sean Strickland publicly says UFC veteran (via Imago/MMA Fighting)

Sean Strickland‘s last outing at UFC 312 didn’t go as planned as the title contender failed against Dricus Du Plessis. The ‘Tarzan’ got dominated for five rounds, and lost the bout via unanimous decision. It was a lackluster performance by the former champion, which led to a fallout with his coach Eric Nicksick. 

After the fight, Nicksick publicly stated that he was unimpressed by Strickland’s performance which forced the fighter to cut ties with the coach. Recently, MMA legend Matt Brown talked about the incident in an interview. Brown made sure to understand both the parties, but wasn’t a fan of what Nicksick did. 

I don’t think you should criticize your fighter publicly. … A coach-athlete relationship is like a boyfriend/girlfriend. You’ve got their back until you don’t when it’s all said and done.

Matt Brown via MMA Fighting 
YouTube video

Brown is a legend of the sport and is considered a true knockout artist. He has 14 KOs in UFC which is among the top 3 all-time. The veteran has good experience working with coaches and dealing with fighters. He expressed that it would be unfair to make harsh comments without understanding the true relationship between Strickland and Nicksick. 

Strickland’s post about firing Nicksick was respectful as well. Moreover, the American fighter still maintains a good relationship with the coach. However, he wouldn’t like Nicksick cornering him in future fights. While this situation has caught a lot of attention, the popular coach has also realized his mistake. 

Sean Strickland’s coach issues public apology for his comments 

Sean Strickland became a fan favorite due to his unfiltered personality, controversial opinions, and willingness to speak his mind fearlessly. His high-volume striking and trash-talk inside the octagon made him an exciting fighter. The ‘Tarzan’ shocked everyone at UFC 293 when he beat Israel Adesanya to become the middleweight champion. 

Erick Nicksick apologizes for his comments on Sean Strickland
Eric Nicksick apologizes for his comments on Sean Strickland (via MMA Fighting)

However, he failed to maintain his title reign, and lost two fights to Dricus Du Plessis. Throughout this journey, Eric Nicksick has been with Strickland and has faced everything. After hearing Matt Brown’s assessment, the coach did drop a comment taking accountability for his actions. 

Looking back at it I made a mistake. My true intentions were to try and motivate him publicly, and that was a miscalculation on my part. 

Erick Nicksick via Instagram comment 

Irrespective of his losses, Strickland remains one of the most talked about fighters on the current UFC roster. He knows the theatrics, and constantly engages in pro-American stand online. His constant trash-talks on X always capture fan attention. As such, Strickland is not yet a thing of the past after his UFC 312 loss. It would be interesting to see what’s next for the fighter in UFC.

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