Sean Strickland insists he’ll likely part ways with 'influencer' coach after UFC 312

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Sean Strickland and longtime coach Eric Nicksick aren’t on the same page in the aftermath of UFC 312.

Sean Strickland’s coach brutally honest on Dricus du Plessis fight: ‘Like he was sleepwalking’

One of a few select Xtreme Couture fighters that’s been coached to a UFC world championship, Strickland failed to become a two-timer in his rematch against Dricus du Plessis at UFC 312. It wasn’t your average Strickland fight, du Plessis flipping the script on the former champ, using his style against Strickland with a more active workrate for a decision win.

Dricus du Plessis largely dominated Sean Strickland in their rematch at UFC 312. / (Zuffa LLC)

Acting as Strickland’s eyes and ears from the corner, Nicksick did the best he could to get Strickland back in the fight after a slow start – admitting post-fight on The Ariel Helwani Show on Tuesday it had been a rather ‘uninspiring’ performance across five rounds and that he and Strickland could potentially split up if their championship motivations no longer align.

“I think [Sean Strickland] 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 wanna coach world champions. My motivations are different. Just to kind of show up and do that and not really back it up, to me, was just… pic.twitter.com/wVl4JFnORK

— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) February 11, 2025

It did not take long for Strickland to hear what his coach had to say regarding him ‘sleepwalking’ in Sydney.

Strickland and Nicksick have worked together for years, the duo going on to a world title in 2023, but the opinionated American isn’t so sure he wants to continue the partnership if Nicksick wants to be an ‘influencer’ so to speak.

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“I like Eric. He’s a friend of mine and he’s gonna continue to be a friend of mine. Will he probably be in my corner? Probably not,” Strickland responded to Nicksick’s comments. “We have so many great guys at Xtreme… We have so many savages that I would love to corner me.”

Sean Strickland is at a crossroads after coming up short in his rematch with du Plessis. / Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images

Strickland revealed his training camp for UFC 312 wasn’t great, having to face a number of issues from nagging injuries to stem cells in Colombia. Strickland says he isn’t one to make excuses, but ‘the entire camp was just a struggle.’