While coach Eric Niksick agrees Sean Strickland would benefit from some refinement, he doesn’t want him to weaken.
Strickland (28-6) is scheduled to face Paulo Costa (14-3) in a five-round bout as the co-headline act at UFC 302 on June 1 at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. Strickland is known for his outrageous language and controversial opinions, but after “Tarzan” was recently spotted teaching his dog, Harley, how to swim, people are wondering if the former UFC middleweight champion is truly a kind and caring person on the inside.
Strickland’s longtime coach recently acknowledged that his protégé is, in fact, a “nice guy.”
Nicksick said Strickland’s girlfriend, himself and other gym members have been working to keep him sharp, but they all said they don’t want the California native to become weaker.
ORDER NOW! UFC 302: Makhachev vs. Poirier, Saturday at 10pm ET on ESPN+ “Yeah, yeah, he’s a super sweet guy. 100 percent,” Nicksick told Shakiel Majli. “That’s just the way he is. Always staying sharp and trying to polish him up a little bit as we spend more time together. His girlfriend, KJ, is definitely a godsend for Sean and his life. Me and KJ and Jim and Danny Davis and all of us, we don’t want to weaken this guy. We’ve got to keep him sharp, of course, but with Sean, it’s good to keep him a little bit sharp.”
Fans saw Strickland’s emotional side emerge in the lead-up to his fight against Dorricus du Plessis at UFC 297 in January this year. Strickland admitted he was affected by du Plessis’ comments about his abusive childhood during his pre-fight press conference. The American then appeared on a podcast with comedian Theo Von and broke down in tears while detailing the abuse he experienced as a child. Strickland went on to lose the title to “Stilnox” by a close split decision.
