Sean Strickland's coach hints at UFC return soon, teases Alex Pereira joining him cage-side
After a blazing title defense at UFC 307, Alex Pereira might fill in the shoes of a cornerman soon. Sean Strickland's coach, Eric Nicksick, recently put out a post that presented the possibility of 'Poatan' joining 'Tarzan' cage side for his next fight.
Pereira locked horns against Strickland at UFC 276, where the latter suffered a crushing KO defeat. However, both of them have moved on from their encounter. Pereira and Strickland have met up for training and sparring sessions multiple times since their bout in July 2022.
Strickland had his last fight against Paulo Costa at UFC 302. The California native earned a split decision victory after five rounds but admitted to the fight being boring in the post-fight octagon interview.
Meanwhile, Nicksick's post also detailed Strickland possibly making his comeback soon, while the image he added hinted at Pereira's presence in 'Tarzan's' corner for the fight:
🔜🔜🔜 @stricklandmma @dee1.eth @alexpoatanpereira @edmenshahbazyan @xcmma @mattdaviesphotography
Check out Eric Nicksick's Instagram post below:
Well, Pereira accompanying Strickland to his next fight won't come as a shock to most fans, considering the amount of training they have been into together.
Sean Strickland isn't a big fan of sparring with Alex Pereira
Sean Strickland may have benefitted from the large number of sessions he trained with Alex Pereira. However, there's a heavy price which he had to pay for it. One so heavy that it made him hate sparring with the Brazilian UFC champion.
Strickland detailed the exact reason behind this in a recent video on Pereira's YouTube channel. The 33-year-old joined 'Poatan' for a sparring session amidst his training camp for UFC 307. Strickland stated in the video that he had been through multiple sparring sessions, where he felt confident about his performance.
However, the Brazilian turned the table in an instant with a few strikes, portraying himself as the superior performer:
"I did really well with [Pereira], but he would've knocked me out right there. That's why I hate sparring him, bro. Like, when I feel like I'm doing good and I feel like I'm winning the rounds, he just fu**ing hits me with some sh*t."
Check out Sean Strickland's comments below (15:19):