Not long ago, Eric Nicksick was the hottest coach in MMA, with fighters like Francis Ngannou, Sean Strickland, and others helping to bring glory to the Xtreme Couture gym in Las Vegas.<\/p>\n
Nicksick hasn\u2019t been so lucky in 2025. Strickland failed to regain the middleweight title from Dricus du Plessis. Former Bellator champion Patchy Mix\u2019s UFC debut was a bust. And Nicksick was just at UFC APEX this past weekend watching his fighter Roman Dolidze lose a lopsided fight to Anthony Hernandez.<\/p>\n
On his Verse Us<\/a> podcast, Nicksick spoke about his recent struggles in the corner and provided an update on his public fallout with Strickland<\/a> after Nicksick criticized the fighter following his loss to du Plessis in February.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Strickland situation probably put a negative light on me for some of the things that I said, but we all know-the people inside know-where my heart was and what I was getting at, what the intent was,\u201d Nicksick said. \u201cIt didn\u2019t come off the way that it needed to and the way I wish it would have, so in a lot of that I\u2019m going to wear a lot of hate because of the way it came off to some people. Again, it was a mistake on my part and I wish I would have worded it better.<\/p>\n \u201cSean and I are on great terms. We talk every day. \u2026 He\u2019s my brother. Brothers argue. At the end of the day, Sean knew where my heart was, Sean knew what I was getting at, and we have to be better as a whole, myself included. It was literally like the week after that whole thing and Sean and I were fine. Back to bullshitting and talking shit and going out shooting and doing our thing. The one thing, too, maybe I\u2019m not the right coach for him in that moment, but Sean\u2019s always going to be a friend and a resource.\u201d<\/p>\n Strickland is currently serving a suspension for a post-match attack<\/a> of a fighter at a Tuff-N-Uff event in Las Vegas this past June, but Nicksick said he has been a leader in the gym even with no fights on the horizon. Their brief dispute appears to be a thing of the past.<\/p>\n Moving forward, Nicksick isn\u2019t sure exactly what he needs to help his fighters be better prepared and get his team back on track. For now, he\u2019s keeping things in perspective even with the online critics coming out of the woodwork.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s still areas that I feel like I need to improve on, I really do,\u201d Nicksick said. \u201cThis is a constant change and evolution, evolving sport. Am I stuck in my old ways of doing things or do I need to reinvent? Do I need to step outside and maybe slow down and not coach as many people? I don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve been blessed in the regards of a lot of praise over the years and it\u2019s like, OK, now I\u2019m going to get hit with a lot of criticism, too, because the expectations are very high for our fighters and our gym and the product that we put out,\u201d Nicksick added. \u201cOverall, this has been a very successful year. Then you lose three and you\u2019re like, \u2018This is the worst ever.\u2019 But I\u2019m OK with that because like I\u2019ve said before, I don\u2019t want losing to feel good or to feel normal or be OK with it.\u201d<\/p>\n Regardless of any issues Nicksick or his team might be experiencing, none of that had anything to do with Dolidze\u2019s loss to Hernandez in the UFC Vegas 109 main event. Nicksick believes Dolidze was well-prepared, but that there are few middleweights who can handle Hernandez right now.<\/p>\n \u201cHats off,\u201d Nicksick said. \u201c\u2018Fluffy\u2019 did the job and not only did the job, but executed it well and did it at a championship-level pace. I don\u2019t think there was too many guys that could beat Fluffy last night. I think he was just really on his game and hats off, we got our ass handed to us.\u201d<\/p>\n $$$. Dana White reveals bonuses are going up<\/a> with new Paramount TV deal.<\/p>\n DWCS. Only two contracts awarded<\/a> after strange night of fights on Week 1 of Contender Series.<\/p>\n TUF 33. Daniel Cormier vs. Chael Sonnen season finale results, welterweight finals set<\/a>.<\/p>\n Skeptic. \u2018This is not going to change anything\u2019<\/a>: Matt Brown highly doubts UFC\u2019s $7.7 billion deal with Paramount benefits fighters.<\/p>\n Off. UFC 319 backup Caio Borralho \u2018suspicious\u2019 something off<\/a> with Dricus du Plessis or Khamzat Chimaev.<\/p>\n Smart. Tom Aspinall \u2018has spent zero seconds\u2019<\/a> considering Jon Jones comeback.<\/p>\n Goals. UFC 319\u2019s Aaron Pico: Alexander Volkanovski \u2018has what I want, and it\u2019s that belt.\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n Primer. Everything you need to know<\/a> about the UFC moving to Paramount in 2026.<\/p>\n UFC 319 media day live stream.<\/p>\n The undisputed heavyweight champ breaks down the UFC 319 main event.<\/p>\n Misfits meeting of the minds.<\/p>\n SOCIAL MEDIA BOUILLABAISSE<\/p>\n First finish of the new season of Contender Series and it was a good one.<\/p>\n DDP and Khamzat running into each other on Fight Week.<\/p>\n Custom fight shorts for Borz.<\/p>\n Norma Dumont (12-2) vs. Ketlen Vieira (15-4); UFC Fight Night, Nov. 1.<\/p>\n $7.7 billion deal and bonuses are going up? Just imagine how cringe the post-fight interviews are going to be now with fighters begging for more money. But I guess it would be naive to think they\u2019d just scrap the bonuses and award everyone with a finish a bonus. Alas.<\/p>\n If you find something you\u2019d like to see in the Morning Report, hit up @AlexanderKlee<\/a> or @JedKMeshew<\/a> on Twitter and let us know about it. Also, follow MMAFighting on Twitter<\/a>, Instagram<\/a>, YouTube<\/a>, TikTok<\/a>, and like us on Facebook<\/a>.<\/p>\n