"An edge that I usually see, I didn’t feel in my fighter” - Sean Strickland’s coach explains what went wrong in UFC 297 loss to Dricus du Plessis
Sean Strickland and Dricus du Plessis clashed in the main event of UFC 297 for the middleweight title. 'Tarzan' was defeated via split decision, with two of the three judges awarding the win to du Plessis, 48-47.
It was a competitive fight, but given Strickland's dominance over Israel Adesanya in his previous bout at UFC 293, some wondered why he did not perform similarly against 'Stillknocks'.
Eric Nicksick, Strickland's coach, has now reflected on his student's performance. He recently appeared on The Anik & Florian Show, where he shared his thoughts on the UFC 297 loss, saying this:
"There was an edge to him that I usually see, that I didn't feel in my fighter. Like he really wanted to push a pace and kill this guy. And I didn't have that edge that I felt, I initially thought we won rounds one and two..."
He continued:
"I felt pretty good about [Round 1 and 2]. I haven't watched it back... But we started, to me after Round 1 - we fought that round perfectly. Round 2, we got away from the one thing the most in the fight, which was out teep [kick]. We got away from it. And I jumped on him after Round 2... it was very important for us to flatten the tires. Knocking the wind out of the body."
Listen to Eric Nicksick discuss Sean Strickland's performance below (57:55):
Dricus du Plessis beating Sean Strickland made Robert Whittaker realize he underestimated him
Dricus du Plessis became the first South African champion in promotional history after beating Sean Strickland at UFC 297. 'Stillknocks' had set up his title shot with a stunning upset victory over Robert Whittaker at UFC 290.
Heading into the clash, few people expected du Plessis to be a match for 'The Reaper'. But the South African stunned fans around the world after handing Whittaker a second-round TKO loss.
Prior to their clash at UFC 290, Whittaker was adamant that he was taking 'Stillknocks' seriously. But after du Plessis' victory against Strickland, the Australian has been forced to reflect on his preparation for their fight.
During a recent episode of the MMArcade Podcast, he said this:
"I thought it was close, the first round, but I gave that to [Sean Strickland]. I thought [du Plessis] took the other rounds. seeing that fight from him, it made me realize that I did not prepare adequately for him. I did not give him the respect he deserves. I understand he was a hard and tough fighter, but I don't think I understood how togh and strong and hungry he really was."
Catch Robert Whittaker's comments below (13:20):