Sean Strickland and Khamzat Chimaev will want to beat one another greater than they really wish to be champion in accordance with Eric Nicksick.
The middleweight duo will headline UFC 328 in Newark on May 9 for the division’s title, 4 years after they sparred at Nicksick’s Elite Couture gym in Las Vegas. Their training sessions have turn into the stuff of legend, and now they meet in a sanctioned fight for the gold.
And Nicksick reckons that the grudge between the pair will matter to each men greater than winning the championship itself. Strickland is a former champion and has fought in three title fights to date while Chimaev is undefeated but has yet to defend his belt.
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Eric Nicksick believes emotion could rule in Sean Strickland vs Khamzat Chimaev
Back in 2022 when Khamzat Chimaev first visited Xtreme Couture, no one within the gym could have known what was to return. Journalists were let within the gym to look at as he worked out with quite a lot of UFC fighters, most notably Sean Strickland.
“Truthfully, I believed they got along rather well,” coach Eric Nicksick said during an appearance on the Ariel Helwani Show. “I believed they pushed one another rather well. I felt prefer it was more of a competitive environment than anything, so where it type of took a turn, I truthfully couldn’t let you know.”
Since then, the pair have turn into bitter rivals and at the moment are set to fight for the belt. But Nicksick believes the non-public feud trumps each men’s desire to win what amounts to their fourth title fight cumulatively.
“This has a special vibe, different feel to it,” Nicksick continued. “It really does, I believe there’s just this competitive nature between the 2 of those guys…
“I hope they don’t make it more of an emotional fight than a tactical fight. But I feel like there’s more emotions which are riding on this than the title is essential to them. I believe it’s more about bragging rights.”
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Asked if he feels the fight will go to a choice, the veteran coach told Helwani: “The truth of it’s, I believe with each their styles, yes, I do, but you only never know. On this sport, in MMA, one improper move or you may get knocked out, or you may get submitted, or whatever it might be.
“So, I believe for us, it’s realizing and forming a game plan to maintain our guy in the most effective positions to win. That’s going to be the point of interest.
“We will’t be putting ourselves on the cage and we are able to’t be stuck in these positions because this guy is only a wet blanket, man. He’s going to remain on you, and he’s going to be consistently mat returning and re-wrestling. So, space goes to be the priority for us.”