MMA news: ‘Uninspiring’ Sean Strickland needs to ‘evaluate’ his future, says Eric Nicksick
At UFC 312, Sean Strickland's performance in his rematch with Dricus Du Plessis left much to be desired, prompting his head coach, Eric Nicksick, to offer a candid evaluation of his fighter's future in MMA.
In this article, Sports News Blitz writer Niall Togher reports on Nicksick's comments regarding Strickland's performance.
An expert’s words
Nicksick, the head coach of Xtreme Couture is widely regarded as one of the best coaches in MMA today.
His longtime pupil, Strickland, was in action at UFC 312 this past weekend where UFC middleweight champion Du Plessis outclassed him in their rematch as he lost a lopsided decision.
In a recent appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show, Nicksick was critical of Strickland’s performance as he honestly assessed what transpired at UFC 312.
“It was just uninspired fighting to me,” Nicksick said.
“It just seemed like he was sleepwalking, it was tough, and I was just trying to dig him out of it through the rounds.
“I didn’t know if he was trying to collect data in the beginning or if it was just a slow start.
“But you know as the rounds began to progress, I could just tell that it just didn’t feel like he was in it the way that most of the times he is.
“It was tough man, it was a tough 25 minutes; to travel all the way out there.
“Let’s not forget this is a title fight and I take these title fights very seriously.
“I was just disappointed…disappointed with the whole entire outcome and the whole fight as a process. I just thought it was kind of flat.” Nicksick said.
Staph ‘not the reason’ for flat performance
During fight week, rumours began to circulate regarding a mark on Strickland’s arm and whether he had developed a staph infection.
Nicksick confirmed that Strickland did indeed have staph during camp for the fight but said it was not the reason to blame for Strickland’s lacklustre performance.
“So, he had staph a couple of weeks prior to us leaving, he was on antibiotics. But he looked great leading into the last week and a half of training.
“Travelled out there, his cardio felt fine, everything felt fine.
“So, of course, getting staph at any point doesn’t help the situation, it’s not ideal but that’s to me not the reason why he felt flat,” Nicksick stated.
MORE BY NIALL TOGHER: MMA news: Luke Rockhold slams Sean Strickland following UFC 312 defeat
Assessing Strickland’s future
At 33 years of age, it will be difficult for Strickland to get another shot at the title.
He will likely need to go on a three-fight winning run impressively with two of those wins coming against top 5 ranked opponents.
Even still, if Du Plessis remains as champion, it will be even more unlikely for the American to get another title shot and he will have to rely on the title changing hands.
Nicksick said Strickland will need to evaluate his future in fighting before he decides what to do next.
“I think he needs to evaluate what he wants to do in the 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. I think to just kind of show up and do that and not really back it up to me was just kind of uninspiring,” the former college football player concluded.
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