Sean Strickland: Eric Nicksick Unlikely To Be In Corner After Recent Criticism

Sean Strickland: Eric Nicksick Unlikely To Be In Corner After Recent Criticism

Sean Strickland has had a falling out with head coach Eric Nicksick in the aftermath of his UFC 312 loss against Dricus Du Plessis. Strickland has announced it’s unlikely that his long-time head coach will be in his corner for future fights. The decision came after Nicksick publically criticized Strickland’s UFC 312 performance.

Strickland posted a video on X that discussed the situation with Nicksick. All quotes via TheScore.

pic.twitter.com/vflbCX75a8

— Sean Strickland (@SStricklandMMA) February 12, 2025

“I like Eric. He’s a friend of mine. And he’s gonna continue to be a friend of mine,” Strickland said. “Will he probably be in my corner? Probably not.

“We have so many great guys at Xtreme. … We have so many savages that would love to corner me.”

A split between Strickland and Nicksick seemed inevitable after Nicksick’s public criticism of Strickland’s performance. In Nicksick’s comments, he discussed how he was not interested in coaching fighters who did not want to be world champions. It appears as if the pair did not have the same motivations.

“I don’t fight to put belts on the wall,” Strickland said. “I don’t f—–g fight because Eric wants to go do a fancy podcast. That’s not why I fight. … I f—–g love it. I got a lot of fights left on my contract. I love fighting. I’m going back to the gym, I’m working my ass off, and I’m starting from f—–g square one.

The move will be a massive loss for Strickland. The Extreme Couture gym has a lot of great minds and will be able to put quality coaches in his corner. It will be difficult to fill Nicksick’s shoes, however. The Xtreme Couture head coach is one of the best cornermen in the world. He is not someone that can be easily replaced.

***

CLICK HERE for more of our UFC/MMA content

Check out the Vendetta Shop

Subscribe to Vendetta’s YouTube

Check out Vendetta Fantasy Contests