Sean Strickland (right) with coach Eric Nicksick (center). Photo: Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC
Eric Nicksick had time to reflect. The head coach of Sean Strickland finally broke his silence to comment on the harsh criticism he made of his pupil after the defeat to the middleweight champion (up to 83,9 kg), Dricus du Plessis, at UFC 312, in Australia. The South African's victory by unanimous decision made the coach question whether 'Tarzan' really gave his soul for the belt in that fight.
Shortly after the defeat, Nicksick appeared on journalist Ariel Helwani's show and "spoke his mind" about Strickland's performance, who in turn indicated the "end" of the partnership with the coach, but not of the friendship. The coach's attitude also raised questions from the MMA community, such as Renato Moicano, who stated that Nicksick should not to have participated in the program at that time and much less criticized the North American fighter.
See too
This Tuesday (18), on his podcast “Verse Us”, Nicksick expressed regret for criticizing Strickland. He explained that his main mistake was accepting Helwani's invitation, given the timing of returning to Las Vegas after a long flight from Sydney. In addition, the trainer said that 30 minutes before going on the show, 'Tarzan' talked about his mindset in the weeks leading up to the fight, and that was what confused him.
“I made a miscalculation in that moment. It was very disappointing to hear where his head was at and what his thought process was about being a champion or all of those things. That’s personal. I should have known better. I took that energy and had to process it while I was going on Ariel’s show. I messed up. I messed up. … I made a miscalculation in that moment by agreeing to go on the show,” he explained.
Nicksick said he didn't necessarily regret criticizing Strickland, but that he could have expressed his message better.
“My wording was terrible,” Nicksick said. “What I said was accurate, about the fight, it wasn’t inspiring. We all know Sean. That’s not how Sean fights. What I said was accurate. Should I take some of that blame? 100 percent. I said that as a team, it’s our responsibility. I’ve always said that. But his production, his body language, his demeanor, all those things, it didn’t feel like Sean. And if anybody thinks I should have lied to cover it up, I’m not a good coach. That’s a yes, man, and I’m not going to be that.”
You need login To comment.