Xtreme Couture head coach Eric Nicksick is open to the idea of [autotag]Sean Strickland[/autotag] fighting [autotag]Robert Whittaker[/autotag] next.
Strickland (28-6 MMA, 15-6 UFC) lost his middleweight title to Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 297 in January. Meanwhile, former champion Whittaker rebounded from his TKO loss to Du Plessis by outlasting Paulo Costa at UFC 298.
Whittaker (25-7 MMA, 16-5 UFC) was asked about Strickland during the UFC 298 post-fight news conference, and he didn’t dismiss the matchup. Strickland’s head coach, Nicksick, had plenty of high praise for Whittaker.
“It’s a great fight,” Nicksick told MMA Junkie Radio. “I still think Robert’s the most talented from top to bottom in the division, in my opinion. I think he has the most skill set and is the most dangerous. I’ve always been a huge fan of Robert Whittaker. I’ve stolen a lot of techniques off of him, things that he’s done.
“I’ve seen him in the locker room, warming up, doing things that I put in my database and taken for good reason. I think he’s one of the best 185ers to ever do it, and I think had it not been for Israel Adesanya, Robert Whittaker would have been holding that belt for a long period of time.”
Strickland has emerged as a fan favorite and one of the most popular (and polarizing) fighters on the roster. Nicksick has no issue with Strickland keeping active, especially if he can capitalize on his budding star power.
“He’s a prize fighter, and I think money talks,” Nicksick said. “So, he’s in a position where he can maximize on his value in the situation that he’s in, then why not? Why not go fight? He hasn’t been taking a whole lot of damage other than the Alex Pereira fight, so he’s relatively healthy. He’s still back in the room, he’s still training hard, he’s doing everything he’s supposed to do.”
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