Sean Strickland was not happy with criticism from his coach following UFC 312.
In fact, he has gone as far to say that his trainer, Eric Nicksick, will ‘probably’ never corner him in a fight ever again.
Strickland suffered a unanimous decision defeat in his middleweight title rematch with Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 312 in Australia last weekend.
Following the bout, renowned UFC coach and Strickland’s main cornerman, Nicksick said his fighter should ‘evaluate’ his MMA future on The Ariel Helwani show.
Nicksick went on to add that he is in the sport to ‘coach world champions’, and that Strickland’s main event performance in Sydney was ‘uninspiring’.
Several MMA fans have also criticised the American for his performance, saying Strickland often fails to replicate his aggressive nature when locking horns with the world’s best in the octagon.
The former UFC champion has now issued a public response to Nicksick on social media, while also disclosing details of issues he experienced leading up to the bout.
“I like Eric,” Strickland said. “He’s a friend of mine. He’s going to continue to be a friend of mine.
“Will he probably be in my corner? Probably not. We have so many great guys at Xtreme [Couture MMA gym]…We have so many savages that I would love to corner me.
“But that entire fight camp was just a struggle. It was a f****ing struggle, and we all have excuses as to why we didn’t win, or why we won or we shouldn’t have won.
“We all f***ing have excuses, and they don’t f***ing matter.
“The only reason why I’m making this video is because Eric decided to make a podcast and become an influencer, so now I have to explain myself.”
Strickland went on to reveals details of a staph infection he suffered in the buildup to the fight, as well as getting stem cells to recover from a broken arm.
He also admitted he would look in the mirror and tell himself to get on with his training several times after struggling with those injuries.
Strickland had previously clashed with du Plessis at UFC 297 in January last year, when he put up a much better showing, but ultimately lost the 185-pound belt.
The 33-year-old had won gold in Dana White‘s promotion after beating Israel Adesanya four months prior.
Many UFC fans have proposed a rematch with Adesanya as Strickland’s most suitable next night, as the Nigerian-born New Zealander is fresh off three consecutive defeats.
Du Plessis, meanwhile, is set to fight the undefeated Khamzat Chimaev in the next defence of his UFC middleweight belt.
