Sean Strickland didn’t just return at UFC Houston. He made a statement. After more than a year away, he knocked out Anthony Hernandez and immediately turned his attention to the guy holding the belt, Khamzat Chimaev. While ‘Borz’ has been flirting with the idea of moving up in weight, Strickland prefers that he stay where he is.

But if he does, can ‘Tarzan’ pull it off? The tension isn’t just about rankings. It’s about style. Because if this fight occurs, loud trash talk will not be the deciding factor. The question will be whether someone can solve the most suffocating grappler in the division. Well, Sean Strickland’s head coach, Eric Nicksick, knows exactly what they’re up against.

Eric Nicksick explains how Sean Strickland can disrupt Khamzat Chimaev’s system

“I mean, we’re gonna have our work cut out for us, and we know that,” he told Submission Radio. “If we can shut some of that stuff down and make him doubt any of these routes that he’s on, especially when it comes to the ground game, he’s very systematic.

If we can disrupt the kind of the chain of wrestling that he puts together and make him restart and put some doubt in his mind, I think that’s where we have to be successful.”

It’s about forcing a reset. Making Khamzat Chimaev doubt the flow he usually creates. And if those takedowns are defended? Make him pay for even trying it in the first place.

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That idea aligns with Xtreme Couture’s identity. Controlled pressure and defensive responsibility. Maintaining peak focus under fire. Eric Nicksick believes their approach could transform a grappling avalanche into a striking battle, which is where Sean Strickland thrives.

‘Borz’ has not been beaten. Not yet. But the head of Team ‘Tarzan’ isn’t trying to outmuscle him. He’s looking to outlast and out-think him. And if they can plant even a speck of doubt in the champion’s head, it could be the first crack anyone’s ever found. In fact, even UFC legend Daniel Cormier believes Sean Strickland might just be one of Khamzat Chimaev’s biggest challenges yet.

Daniel Cormier claims Strickland could really trouble ‘Borz’

Daniel Cormier is not dismissing the challenge, nor is he dismissing Sean Strickland. After seeing the Houston performance, ‘DC’ believes the version of Strickland who stopped Anthony Hernandez is a serious issue for Khamzat Chimaev.

“Can Sean defend Khamzat to the point that he doesn’t get ridden out and taken down and controlled for 25 minutes? I don’t know that,” Cormier said on his YouTube channel. “But I’ll tell you one thing that I do know is if that guy that showed up (Saturday) shows up in that fight, it would be a much more difficult fight for the great Khamzat Chimaev.

Because even Israel Adesanya at the peak of his power struggled with that version of Sean Strickland.”

For Daniel Cormier, the key is focus. He felt Sean Strickland looked off in the Dricus Du Plessis rematch, lacking confidence and sharpness. In Houston, that edge was reclaimed. And if that sharper, more focused ‘Tarzan’ meets Khamzat Chimaev in a five-round battle, the UFC legend feels the undefeated champion will finally be tested in ways he hasn’t before.