The MMA world was left stunned as Sean Strickland dethroned Israel Adesanya to become the new middleweight champion at UFC 293. It was an outcome very few MMA experts and fans anticipated. As the Xtreme Couture fighter stood his ground for five rounds, presenting great technique, his head coach Eric Nicksick has now opened up about some behind-the-scenes action.

While some viewers blamed head coach Eugene Bareman for Adesanya’s loss, Nicksick defended the City Kickboxing head citing that Strickland’s defense preparation was the deciding factor. ‘Tarzan’s skillful knockdown of Adesanya in round 1 softened the latter’s strikes, leading to his ultimate victory. During a Morning Kombat interview with host Luke Thomas, Nicksick thus revealed a secret conversation with Adesanya post-match wherein ‘The Last Stylebender’ commended him for empowering Strickland’s defense and ‘saving his life’. So how did the former defending champion react to his undoing?

From calling out Adesanya’s moves to putting the ‘underdog’ on the map

“I had a good talk with Izzy backstage after the fight was over. Izzy came up to me and said, ‘You saved that man’s life.’ I was like, ‘Oh yeah, how so?’ He goes, ‘You kept calling out my reads.”-Nicksick recalled while in conversation with Luke Thomas. He further added that working on neutralizing Adesanya’s offenses was pivotal to getting him where they wanted and securing a win for ‘Tarzan.’ Adesanya’s calf kicks hence took precedence and knowing the ‘hole’ as a coach, he had to ‘reverse engineer’. 

“One of the things was the southpaw drop step. ‘Izzy’ orthodox drops back into southpaw—drop step into southpaw—he would throw his southpaw cross at Sean’s right hand. And Sean was parrying it, like this [waves hand]. And I yell at Sean, I go, ‘Bro, he’s going to same side head kick you. It’s gonna come right behind it.’ I yelled it out and Izzy heard me yell it, and he’s like, ‘Holy shit, you called out my reads.’”- Nicksick stated while also lauding Strickland’s unorthodox fighting style as a Martial ‘artist.’

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“She’s Turned Sean to a Different Animal…”: Following His Humongous Win at UFC 293, Best Friend Reveals the Contribution of Sean Strickland’s Girlfriend on His Training

Eric Nicksick breaks down the ‘behind-the-scenes action’ before the match

“We had to go to the drawing board and look at different ideas. We had about five different theories on how we were going to shut down that calf kick…“. A championship is more than just what happens in the octagon and Nicksick stated just that in the Morning Kombat interview. He further shed light on the level of preparation and how they brainstormed ideas, leveraging Adesanya’s match with Alex Pereira to break down the former champion’s moves. This, in turn, allowed them to scoop up the correct recipe for Strickland’s victory. 

Nicksick has always believed in Strickland and that showed in his efforts behind the scenes. “I think with enough tape, and enough time in the cage, you’re going to start understanding where he feels he’s most comfortable. I use the analogy that he’s a conductor of an orchestra. And that’s very true. He is that man. He knows where all the instruments go. But our job is to take the conductor stick out of the hand and disrupt the rhythm and throw some shit in there that takes away the harmony that he’s so accustomed to.” – Eric Nicksick revealed his admiration for Adesanya and his team while clarifying his strategy that directed Strickland to the ultimate title. 

Despite the outcome and with Sean Strickland basking in his new-found success, fans have been eager for a rematch to determine whether Strickland really has what the UFC title takes. To add to the buzz, Dana White has also hinted that Israel Adesanya is looking forward to a rematch. While only time can tell the rest, keep an eye on this space to stay updated!

Watch this story- “I Think It’s a Lot More Than Minor Adjustments.”- Sean Strickland’s Coach Thinks Israel Adesanya Needs a Better Gameplan if Rematch Happens