Coach Eric Nicksick says Sean Strickland spars with Francis Ngannou to "feel as close to death as possible"
Sean Strickland is widely known for his unconventional sparring sessions in the gym. According to coach Eric Nicksick, Strickland is willing to spar with any fighter, irrespective of weight class.
Nicksick recently revealed that Strickland regularly calls out heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou during sparring sessions. As per Nicksick, Strickland enters the cage against 'The Predator' to have a near-death experience.
However, Ngannou is not the only heavyweight Strickland has his eyes on. Nicksick also recalled a sparring session where 'Tarzan' and former UFC heavyweight Roy Nelson attempted to knock each other out. Nicksick told MMA Fighting's Damon Martin:
"But that dude [Sean Strickland] will literally spar anybody in our gym. He calls Francis out every sparring session, he loves to spar Francis because he goes, 'I wanna feel like as close to death as possible and I wanna have that fear of god in my heart, everytime I spar a guy like Francis Ngannou.' So sure, we throw him in there and let him get some rounds with Francis. I watched him with Roy Nelson, go after it last week. Those two tried to knock each other's heads off. But here's Sean Strickland, big old smile, ear to ear."
Catch Eric Nicksick's interview with MMA Fighting below:
Eric Nicksick likes Sean Strickland's presence in the gym
Sean Strickland has often been at the heart of controversy due to his all-in approach during sparring sessions. However, that doesn't seem to be a problem for Eric Nicksick, who trains Strickland at Xtreme Couture.
Nicksick likes Strickland's attitude as it reminds him of an old-school approach to training. Eric Nicksick said in an interview with MMA Fighting:
"I love working with him. It just reminds me of the old school days at Xtreme Couture to be honest with you. When you have Mike Pyle and Jay [Hieron] and these guys get in on sparring day and they didn’t give a sh*t who you were and if you were friends. They were trying to fight you everyday and that was the vibe. Of course we went away from that because it wasn’t great for the longevity of your career but there’s an element of that, that I do like and a tenacity that I think is important."
Jack Hermansson (@jackthejokermma) vs. Sean Strickland (@SStricklandMMA) in a five-round main event at UFC Fight Night on Feb. 5, per sources. Contracts should be signed shortly. UFC’s 2022 first quarter main events are filling up. https://t.co/1kZIFARGo9