Eric Nicksick reflects on spat with ex-UFC champion Sean Strickland: 'The timing was wrong'
Eric Nicksick insists it's water under the bridge with Sean Strickland.
Nicksick was pretty vocal with his discontent toward Strickland's lackluster performance against Dricus Du Plessis in their title-fight rematch at 312, which prompted Strickland (29-7 MMA, 16-7 UFC) to say he doubts Nicksick be in his corner again.
Nicksick doesn't necessarily regret what he said. The Xtreme Couture head coach explained that he came from a good place when addressing someone who he doesn't just see as a student, but as a friend. He thinks perhaps he shouldn't have done it so soon after the loss.
'The timing was wrong on my part, and the wording wasn't as crystal clear as what I should have gotten out,' Nicksick told MMA Junkie Radio. 'Everyone in the gym that knows me, Sean included, knew where my heart was and knew where my head was and the point that I was trying to get across.
'Sean said that to me immediately via text. He was like, 'Hey man, I know exactly what you mean.' I saw him in person that same Thursday. We hugged, high-fived. 'I'm going out snowboarding.' We had a good conversation. So as far as I'm concerned, everything's good on our end.'
Nicksick was criticized by a few pundits for his harshness towards Strickland, who gave a much more competitive effort in his first fight with Du Plessis at UFC 297.
'Whether I'm his coach, in his corner, none of that bothers me,' Nicksick said. 'What I said was from the heart because I love him and I care about him. I want to see him at his best in the best capacity that we all know Sean. If I lie as a coach, I'm not doing my job. If I feel like we're missing something, then I'm not doing my job. Should I have said it publicly? You know, maybe I shouldn't have. I don't know.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
33 minutes ago
- USA Today
Joaquin Buckley: Islam Makhachev 'definitely going to run' from me if he wins UFC title
Joaquin Buckley: Islam Makhachev 'definitely going to run' from me if he wins UFC title Joaquin Buckley doesn't see Islam Makhachev sticking around the UFC welterweight division for too long. Buckley (21-6 MMA, 11-4 UFC) is looking to emerge as No. 1 contender when he takes on former champion Kamaru Usman (20-4 MMA, 15-3 UFC) in Saturday's UFC on ESPN 69 (ESPN, ESPN+) headliner at State Farm Arena in Atlanta. But before Buckley potentially gets his shot, Makhachev (27-1 MMA, 16-1 UFC) will challenge recently crowned UFC welterweight champion Jack Della Maddalena later in the year – even though Buckley doesn't agree. "So once I beat Kamaru Usman, there is no debate, there is no back-and-forth, there is no argument, we up next," Buckley said on his YouTube channel. "You got this guy from 155 coming up thinking he's going to take my spot. No, we can't have it. The JDM fight and Islam fight is not a massive fight to make. JDM is the world champion right now, but I truly believe that Islam got to sit back and just wait for me to get my title because I will be the hardest fight that Islam has." Unfortunately for Buckley, UFC CEO Dana White has already declared Makhachev next in line for Della Maddalena. If both Buckley and Makhachev emerge victorious in their next fights, "New Mansa" doesn't see the former UFC lightweight champion wanting to face him. "He's not going to outwrestle me. He's not going to submit me," Buckley said of Makhachev. "I've never been submitted in my career, and he's definitely not going to stand on the feet with me. If the people want to see it, it's going to be made. ... If Islam does get blessed with that title shot, and he does beat JDM, he's not going to stay there. He's going to retire. He's going to get up out of there, quit, because he knows he's not a natural 170 fighter – and especially with myself, he's definitely going to run from a person like me."
San Francisco Chronicle
an hour ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Canelo Alvarez and Terence Crawford to fight in Las Vegas for unified super middleweight title
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Boxing's most-anticipated fight in years, Canelo Alvarez against Terence Crawford, will be in Las Vegas on Sept. 13 after much speculation that it would take place in Saudi Arabia. The fight for the unified super middleweight championship is part of Alvarez's reported $400 million, minimum four-fight deal with Riyadh Season. One of those fights can be in another location, and Las Vegas has become the boxing home for the Mexican champion. Riyadh Season is working with UFC CEO Dana White to promote the fight. This is White's first foray into boxing as part of an effort to become a major player in the sport. 'Are you kidding me that the first boxing fight I'm going to get to promote is Canelo vs. Crawford?' White said in a statement. "It's literally a once in a lifetime fight." Alvarez (63-2-2) unified the division by defeating William Scull by unanimous decision in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on May 3. Crawford, who is from Omaha, Nebraska, attended that bout, and the four-division champ who is 41-0 announced in the ring with Alvarez that they would meet in September. 'I'm ready to show once again that I am the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world,' Alvarez said in a statement. Added Crawford: 'My perfect record speaks for itself. I am the best fighter in the world and no matter the opponent or weight class, I have always come out on top. On September 13, my hand will be raised once again as the world watches greatness.' ___
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Netflix secures broadcast rights for Canelo Alvarez vs. Terence Crawford boxing mega-fight
The biggest boxing fight of 2025 has found a home on the biggest streaming service in the world. Saul "Canelo" Alvarez vs. Terence Crawford, the Sept. 13 mega-fight between pound-for-pound greats for the sport's undisputed super middleweight titles, will be streamed globally by Netflix at no additional cost to its subscribers, Turki Alalshikh announced Tuesday. Advertisement In a major victory for the sport, Alvarez vs. Crawford becomes the third boxing event over a span of just 10 months to stream on the Netflix platform, which boasts more than 300 million global subscribers. The controversial Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul heavyweight fight became the first boxing event on Netflix this past November, ultimately being watched by an audience exceeding 65 million viewers. Katie Taylor vs. Amanda Serrano 2 was the co-feature on that night, and now the two future Hall of Famers are set to headline Netflix's second boxing event with their trilogy fight on July 11 in New York. Additionally, Alalshikh said that Alvarez vs. Crawford will take place in Las Vegas but did not name a venue. Allegiant Stadium was originally supposed to host Alvarez vs. Crawford on Sept. 12, however once the date of the fight changed to Sept. 13, it was unable to do so, as the venue had a preexisting booking with the UNLV Rebels vs. Idaho State college football game. Advertisement It was then announced that Saudi-owned Sela would be the lead promoter for the highly anticipated 168-pound showdown instead of TKO Boxing — the latter being an entity formed by Alalshikh, UFC CEO Dana White and WWE president Nick Khan earlier this year. White and the UFC faced a dilemma when the date shifted from Sept. 12 to Sept. 13, as the UFC had already committed to promoting its Noche UFC 3 event on that date. However, construction delays at Mexico's Arena Guadalajara forced the show to be moved to San Antonio and become a Fight Night event rather than the originally-planned pay-per-view card. After this happened, White was able to commit to Alvarez vs. Crawford again, and thus TKO will be the lead promoter for the event. Allegiant Stadium is also understood to be back in play to host the show, with a potential deal in the works to shift the UNLV football game off the date. Alvarez and Crawford will come face-to-face for a three-city press tour beginning on June 20 in Riyadh, then on June 22 in New York, before concluding June 27 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
