“I loved him in the gym,” Sean Strickland’s coach responds to Khamzat Chimaev training in same gym ahead of championship bout

Eric Nicksick, part of Francis Ngannou's corner for the Tyson Fury fight, talked about the explosive moments in the bout and Khamzat Chimaev's training at their gym.

“I loved him in the gym,” Sean Strickland’s coach responds to Khamzat Chimaev training in same gym ahead of championship bout

Eric Nicksick clarifies about Khamzat Chimaev vs. Sean Strickland (Image via: IMAGO, X/Eric Nicksick)

Eric Nicksick sat down with Submission Radio following the highly-anticipated boxing match between Tyson Fury and Francis Ngannou. Nicksick, who was in Ngannou’s corner in Saudi Arabia, discussed the explosive moment when Ngannou floored Fury and potential future bouts for the Cameroonian. He also delved into the potential matchup between Sean Strickland and Khamzat Chimaev.

Nicksick revealed that Chimaev had trained at their gym intermittently for about three years, especially during the pandemic. This is what else Nicksick had to say about Khamzat Chimaev on Submission Radio:

Yeah, I know, like Khamzat... He'd come in, get work in, and oh man, I loved having him in the gym. Like he was a great teammate, he pushed the room, he made all of us better. I learned a lot from him, especially with a guy like Jeremy Kennedy. A lot of the ideologies and routes you run on the ground, I actually have a series where I call it ‘Cumzat’, I'll H out Homza, and you know, there's some things that we do. So, you know, it's business, it is what it is. We knew that eventually that's a possibility. We got guys in the middleweight division in our gym who are just stacked in the rankings. So eventually those guys might have to fight.
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Nicksick believed that Sean Strickland was not at a disadvantage against Chimaev. As for the recent fight between Chimaev and Kamaru Usman in the co-main event of UFC 294, Nicksick admitted it was challenging for both fighters. He felt that a three-round match favored Chimaev more. However, he praised Kamaru Usman’s performance in rounds two and three.

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Nicksick also addressed the rumors surrounding Khamzat Chimaev’s dominance during gym sessions at Extreme Couture. He clarified that Chimaev trained hard. However, he wasn’t overwhelmingly dominant against any particular fighter in the gym. Moreover, he advised viewers to place their bets wisely in the presumed matchup between Strickland and Chimaev, hinting that the underdog might spring an upset.

Eric Nicksick grateful to Kamaru Usman and Israel Adesanya for supporting Francis Ngannou

In the interview on Submission Radio, Eric Nicksick highlighted the significance of the match and the unexpected turn when Francis Ngannou dropped Tyson Fury. He also touched on Eddie Hearn‘s interest in seeing Ngannou face Anthony Joshua. Moreover, Nicksick shared the importance of fighters like Israel Adesanya and Kamaru Usman in the corner of Ngannou.

Israel Adesanya and Kamaru Usman walked out with Francis Ngannou
Israel Adesanya and Kamaru Usman walked out with Francis Ngannou (Image via: X/MMA Fighting)

This is what Nicksick said about having Usman and Adesanya there to support Ngannou.

Izzy and the guys, man, like it was such a great energy to have. I couldn't be more thankful to Izzy and Kamaru for making the effort to be out there, traveling all the way out to Saudi to be here for Francis, be for our guy. But it added a whole different element to it, you know, and having Izzy in the locker room and his energy was just through the roof, man.
Eric Nicksick via Submission Radio.

Francis Ngannou’s heart was evident in the match against Tyson Fury. Ngannou held firm for 10 rounds. This is despite Fury’s reputation as one of the best heavyweights in history. Many believe he won. Nicksick showcased unwavering faith in Ngannou.

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