In a recent development regarding the separation between former UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland and coach Eric Nicksick, new details have emerged suggesting the split was rooted in financial disagreements.
An Xtreme Couture insider revealed that Nicksick’s public comments about Strickland’s UFC 312 performance, which he called “uninspiring” on The Ariel Helwani Show, were motivated by disputes over compensation.
“Like, I got to go to defense for Eric now, man.”
“There’s more to the story than people know. There’s more to the story than he’s disclosed. And I’m hoping that if he wants to come out and talk about it, he does it with our show.”
“Whether he does it with our show or a bigger show—that’s on him. I’m going to ask him to.”
“But guys, there were things between the lines. The reason Eric said the things he said was over a financial dispute. Again, I’m reiterating—he didn’t feel that he was compensated accordingly.”
“And, you know, he doesn’t want to work with somebody that doesn’t want to give it their all.”
“To an extent, I understand that.”
While Strickland has maintained there’s no animosity between them, stating, “I like Eric; he’s a friend of mine, and he’s going to continue to be a friend of mine,” he confirmed Nicksick would likely not be in his corner for future bouts. “We have so many great guys at Xtreme…we have so many savages who I would love to corner me,” Strickland said.
The 33-year-old athlete also detailed various challenges during his UFC 312 preparation, including a staph infection, a broken arm requiring stem cell treatment in Colombia, and visa issues resolved just a week before the event.
“This is not an excuse, but that entire camp was just a struggle of, ‘I’m good, I’m good,’ knowing I’m not good,” Strickland revealed. “Whether it be the staph infection, the broken arm, having to get a visa that didn’t get approved until a week before, not being able to get cornermen out there; this entire camp was a struggle.”
Despite the organizational changes, Strickland remains committed to his career, confirming he has multiple bouts remaining on his contract and plans to resume training immediately.
