Sean Strickland expressed frustration over coach Eric Nicksick‘s public critique of his performance during the UFC 312 title-fight rematch against Dricus Du Plessis this past Saturday.

Nicksick, the head coach at Xtreme Couture in Las Vegas, has played a vital role in Strickland’s journey through the middleweight division, guiding him to a championship victory against Israel Adesanya at UFC 293 in September 2023. Their collaboration aimed for success once again in the rematch with Du Plessis (23-2 MMA, 9-0 UFC), but the outcome did not meet expectations.

Despite overcoming a broken nose in the latter half of the bout, Strickland’s performance was deemed lackluster, culminating in a unanimous decision loss. In an appearance on “The Ariel Helwani Show,” Nicksick openly voiced his thoughts on Strickland’s display.

“I think he needs to assess what he truly wants from this sport,” Nicksick remarked. “If it’s solely for financial gain, that’s fine. Just let us know, as my focus is on coaching world champions. Therefore, witnessing a performance that didn’t back that up was a bit uninspiring for me.”

The sharp comments prompted Strickland to respond publicly on social media. He elaborated on the challenges he faced before stepping into the octagon at UFC 312, while addressing the fallout from his coach’s statements.

Strickland confirmed that he values his personal relationship with Nicksick, though he hinted at a potential rift in their professional collaboration for now. 

“I like Eric, and he’s a friend. That won’t change,” Strickland stated. “But will he likely be in my corner? Probably not. We have plenty of talented individuals at Xtreme… many skilled fighters who can support me. That entire fight camp presented numerous difficulties. We all have our reasons for winning or losing, but ultimately, those reasons are irrelevant.”

To learn more about the event, visit MMA Junkie’s hub for UFC 312.