Tag: Eric Nicksick

Coach: Sean Strickland ‘a shoo-in’ to fight Israel Adesanya after Dricus Du Plessis, will be ready for UFC 293 backup role

Sean Strickland’s coach Eric Nicksick plans to have his fighter prepared for a UFC 293 title fight – be it straight up or as a backup.

[autotag]Sean Strickland[/autotag]’s coach [autotag]Eric Nicksick[/autotag] plans to have his fighter prepared if he gets the call to fight at UFC 293 in September.

After Strickland (27-5 MMA, 14-5 UFC) defeated Abus Magomedov by second-round TKO in the UFC on ESPN 48 main event earlier this month, he put himself in striking distance of a middleweight title shot. However, one week later, Dricus Du Plessis made a definitive statement as to who is next in line to challenge reigning champion Israel Adesanya when he upset Robert Whittaker at UFC 290.

All signs point to an Adesanya (24-2 MMA, 13-2 UFC) vs. Du Plessis (20-2 MMA, 6-0 UFC) grudge match for the belt going down at UFC 293, which takes place Sept. 9 at Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney, but it has not been officially announced. There’s a chance it doesn’t materialize and Strickland gets the call to fight Adesanya instead, but Xtreme Couture head coach Nicksick said that, at worst, he expects Strickland to be positioned as the backup fighter.

“I think you have to (prepare for it),” Nicksick told MMA Junkie on the most recent episode of the “Spinning Back Clique” roundtable show. “That’s the thing with Sean. My main concern is not him being prepared – just making sure his weight is within striking distance to make that championship, 185-pound limit. Being prepared and being ready for this – it’s very hard to say you’re going to get a short-notice title fight. But it’s one of those situations where you look at the history of this division, guys will be there fight night. The Whittakers and (Yoel) Romeros, and fights get scrapped, that’s why they have backups.

“It’d be interesting to see if they book this, will Sean Strickland be the backup fighter for this event? He does need to stay ready because that phone might ring at any moment, and I won’t be behind the eight ball. I want to be ready to go and get this taken care of.”

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Even if Adesanya vs. Du Plessis is booked for UFC 293 and goes ahead without issue, Nicksick thinks Strickland is in a good spot – especially if Adesanya retains the belt.

Strickland is one of the few highly-ranked middleweights who has never shared the octagon with Adesanya, and there’s plenty of friction between the two. They’ve exchanged comments in interviews and had a memorable exchange at the UFC 276 pre-event press conference in July 2022, so Nicksick sees the fight happening eventually. It just depends on the circumstances.

“I think Dricus did the job he needed to do,” Nicksick said. “I did not think he was going to beat Robert Whittaker, amongst others. But the way he did it and the fashion he did it – credit to him, man. He definitely deserves that shot. So we’ll see what the UFC decides to do. Sean’s not a guy to sit around and wait. He’s a fighter by nature. I think chess-wise he should sit around and wait. Play a little chess and sit around and wait for that. Because I think if Izzy wins, you’re a shoo-in for that title shot. It will depend on what he wants to do and what the UFC proposes.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 293.

Coach Eric Nicksick puzzled to see so many Francis Ngannou haters: ‘Why not cheer for people?’

Hate all you want, but the bottom line for Francis Ngannou’s coach is that his PFL deal “set a huge standard” for MMA free agency.

Fighters, pundits, promoters, and fans all took their shots at [autotag]Francis Ngannou[/autotag] as the former UFC heavyweight champion explored free agency following his departure from the UFC. That’s something that Ngannou’s head coach, [autotag]Eric Nicksick[/autotag], doesn’t understand.

Nicksick was puzzled and sad to see the negative comments thrown Ngannou’s way as he looked to find an alternative to the UFC that fit him better. Now that Ngannou signed a lucrative PFL contract, Nicksick questions why so many chose to tear down Ngannou instead of rooting for him to succeed.

“The thing that I was most disappointed about, and this is kind of where our society is today, is that people cheer for failure,” Nicksick said on “Morning Kombat.” “They want to see people fail for no reason whatsoever. And I remind people, I even tweeted at someone, ‘Success isn’t finite. It’s infinite, and there’s enough to go around for everyone.’ You don’t go to the store and say, ‘Hey, we’re fresh out of success. Sorry, you can’t have anymore.’ It’s there for everybody. Why not cheer for people? Why not welcome that into your own heart and your own life and hope that people make the money that they deserve or get that success or find that value they feel that they’re worth?

“I was disappointed to see some of that stuff, because it really has no effect on them whatsoever. It doesn’t matter. You’re just on the same sh*t. So for Francis to go through all that and just really brush it off, from what I saw, he didn’t care about anything to be honest with you.”

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Ngannou turned down a UFC contract that, according to UFC president Dana White, would’ve made him the highest paid heavyweight in UFC history.

The gamble did pay off for Ngannou as he now has a multi-million dollar contract and the freedom that he was looking for. Nicksick believes this is a great example for fighters unhappy with their perceived value by a promoter.

“I think it’s ground breaking for this generation of combat sports,” Nicksick said. “He really bucked the trend. He broke the mold and stepped outside the comfort zone. Most people are moved by money. Obviously money plays a factor, but it’s more his worth. … I think that it’s going to open the eyes of other people in this sport and see what their worth might be, whether it’s in the UFC or outside that organization. He set a huge standard.”

Coach Eric Nicksick thinks new gym leader Chris Curtis ‘playing with house money’ at UFC Fight Night 208

Coach Eric Nicksick thinks Chris Curtis has nothing to lose in his fast turnaround against Jack Hermansson at UFC Fight Night 208.

Xtreme Couture coach [autotag]Eric Nicksick[/autotag] is proud of UFC middleweight [autotag]Chris Curtis[/autotag]’ career trajectory.

Curtis (29-8 MMA, 3-0 UFC) was on the verge of walking away from the sport for good a number of times in recent years. After a three-fight skid in PFL, Curtis appears to have figured things out, and has since ripped through eight-straight opponents. He also got that long-awaited call to the UFC, and has won his first three bouts with the promotion.

“I joked around with Chris all the time he’s like Eeyore sometimes when he comes to the gym, just moping around and all this sh*t,” Nicksick told MMA Junkie Radio. “Now you see a big difference in the change of his personality. … Chris is taking a leadership role. He feels more comfortable in his own skin. If he has something to address to the team, or say something, he’s not sitting in the back when we call it in, he’s the guy at the front.”

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Less than a month removed from his previous win over Rodolfo Vieira, Curis is stepping back into the cage for a lucrative turnaround at UFC Fight Night 208 in London to take on No. 8 middleweight Jack Hermasson. It’s a move that Nicksick believes puts into perspective how confident Curtis is at this point in his career.

“I think with that confidence comes the leadership and everything else that’s been falling into place for him,” Nicksick said. “He’s definitely playing with some house money. That’s the best part about being in Vegas. We got nothing to lose so we’re out here just slanging ’em.”

Check out the full interview with Nicksick in the video above.

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Eric Nicksick believes Francis Ngannou, UFC will come to terms, have lucrative future together

While he tries to stay in his own lane as head coach, Erick Nicksick believes Francis Ngannou and the UFC will settle their differences and have a bright future together.

The UFC heavyweight champion’s head coach, [autotag]Eric Nicksick[/autotag], believes there are many bright days ahead for his pupil and the promotion.

While [autotag]Francis Ngannou[/autotag] and the UFC are at odds in an ongoing contract dispute, Nicksick remains optimistic that both sides will eventually settle their differences. As a head coach, Nicksick tries to stick to the training and gameplanning side of things but admits there are times he wants to provide his input.

“I understand that this is a business, and I try to allow management to handle those kind of things, so I never really try to step across, and I just try to stay in my lane,” Nicksick recently told MMA Junkie Radio. “I do understand that the UFC, essentially, they pay a lot of my bills. Not them personally, but the fighters that fight for the UFC. I have to bite my lip on certain things, but I have to be understanding in some of their areas, as well, as far as the business goes.”

Ngannou and the UFC were unable to agree on a new contract ahead of this past weekend’s UFC 270, which meant “The Predator” entered the cage with an uncertain future. Although Ngannou defeated Ciryl Gane via unanimous decision and his contract was automatically extended for three fights or a year longer, the future is still as unclear as it was before the fight.

“I really think they’re going to get a deal done,” Nicksick said. “I think they’re going to figure this thing out. I think they’re going to get a deal done, and I think these guys are going to make a lot of money together, and everybody can be happy at the end of the day. I don’t like to worry too much about all that stuff.”

Notably, UFC president Dana White did not place the UFC championship belt on Ngannou at UFC 270 as he usually does for the winner of championship bouts – and did for the co-main event when Deiveson Figueiredo defeated Brandon Moreno. While White’s absence has sparked a number of theories on why he snubbed the belting of Ngannou, Nicksick believes there may be an explanation but thinks it simply wasn’t a good look.

“I don’t understand why Dana did that, but he might have his reasons why,” Nicksick said. “I don’t think it looked good, but it is what it is, man.”

Check out the clip above to hear Nicksick discuss the situation and watch the full interview in the video below.

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VIDEO: Fernand Lopez, Eric Nicksick share wholesome moment backstage after UFC 270

UFC 270 was an emotional rollercoaster for Fernand Lopez, but that didn’t stop him from respecting his adversaries.

UFC 270 was an emotional rollercoaster for [autotag]Fernand Lopez[/autotag], but that didn’t stop him from respecting his adversaries.

Lopez’s star student [autotag]Ciryl Gane[/autotag] (10-1 MMA, 7-1 UFC) fell short in his pursuit to unify the heavyweight belt with his former teammate [autotag]Francis Ngannou[/autotag] (17-3 MMA, 12-2 UFC) in the main event Saturday. Despite the intense buildup, Lopez paid his respects to Ngannou and his head coach [autotag]Eric Nicksick[/autotag] after the fight.

“Congratulations @xcmma @francisngannou & @eric_xcmma one of they bests in the game #ufc270🥊💥”

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Lopez’s sentiments toward his former pupil Ngannou are well documented. Ngannou’s falling out with Lopez led to his departure from MMA Factory Paris and after Gane’s fast rise, Lopez found himself coaching against Ngannou.

After dropping Rounds 1 and 2 on two of the three judges’ scorecards, Ngannou rallied by using his grappling to defeat Gane, who perhaps cost himself the fight in Round 5 when he attempted a heel hook that lost him top position. UFC 270 marked Gane’s first loss, but a respectful Nicksick responded to Lopez with some encouraging words.

“Respect, Coach. Safe travels home, and good luck with your team and your fighters. You guys are doing an exceptional job! 🤝”

The Blue Corner is MMA Junkie’s blog space. We don’t take it overly serious, and neither should you. If you come complaining to us that something you read here is not hard-hitting news, expect to have the previous sentence repeated in ALL CAPS.

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Xtreme Couture’s Eric Nicksick talks how Covid-19 shutdown affecting local fighters

John Morgan stopped by Xtreme Couture in Las Vegas to talk with general manager Eric Nicksick to see how the recent COVID-19 closure was affecting local athletes and business as usual.

John Morgan stopped by Xtreme Couture in Las Vegas to talk with general manager Eric Nicksick to see how the recent COVID-19 closure was affecting local athletes and business as usual.

Can you really be upset with outcome of UFC 248’s main event? | Spinning Back Clique

MMA Junkie’s Radio’s Gorgeous George and Goze unpack the biggest storylines coming out of UFC 248. Special guest MMA coach Eric Nicksick joins them for the show.

MMA Junkie’s Radio’s Gorgeous George and Goze unpack the biggest storylines coming out of UFC 248. Special guest MMA coach Eric Nicksick joins them for the show.