"When no one believed in us..." - Emphatic coach Eric Nicksick exclaims after Sean Strickland's title win over Israel Adesanya
Sean Strickland shocked the world and captured the UFC middleweight title as he defeated Israel Adesanya via unanimous decision at UFC 293.
Eric Nicksick, who is 'Tarzan's head coach at Xtreme Couture Mixed Martial Arts, shared a photo of himself with the UFC middleweight champion, adding that he has always believed in him, captioning the post:
"When no one believed in us, we believed in each other. @SStricklandMMA #ANDNEW"
Check out Eric Nicksick's tweet following Sean Strickland's title fight win below:
Nicksick also tweeted that he blacked out, apologizing for playing spoiler on many betting cards:
"Did we win? I blacked out. #Sorryaboutyourparlays #ANDNEW @SStricklandMMA"
The 2020 and 2022 mixed martial arts Coach of the Year has received plenty of praise following Strickland's upset victory over Adesanya. Several pundits have labeled him the favorite to win the 2023 Coach of the Year award.
Nicksick will look to pull off another historic upset next month as he coaches Francis Ngannou in his boxing debut against Tyson Fury. Pundits have speculated that if he can pull off consecutive upsets, the mixed martial arts trainer could receive recognition at next year's ESPYS as one of the nominees for Best Coach/Manager of the Year.
Dana White suggests a rematch between Sean Strickland and Israel Adesanya could be next
Sean Strickland shocked the world as he defeated Israel Adesanya via unanimous decision to claim the middleweight title at UFC 293. UFC President Dana White suggested that 'Tarzan's first title defense could be a rematch with 'The Last Stylebender'.
Speaking at the post-fight press conference, the promotional frontman was asked about the future of the division, responding:
"I think you do the rematch, absolutely. I mean, the rematch is interesting... When you think about you're going into the [Alex] Pereira fight, such a big fight and you've been in there with this guy so many times and then you overlook Strickland."
Check out Dana White's comments on Sean Strickland and Israel Adesanya below (starting at the 6:14 mark):
Earlier in the press conference, White took a shot at Dricus du Plessis, who passed on the opportunity to face Adesanya at UFC 293 and would likely be next in line if a rematch didn't happen. While fans and critics have suggested that 'The Last Stylebender' does not deserve a rematch, his status as a former long-time middleweight champion will allow him to reclaim his title in his next bout.