Sean
Strickland is one of the most polarizing fighters on the
Ultimate Fighting Championship roster, as he is known for going on
unhinged rants on a variety of sensitive topics.
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However, even Strickland’s detractors couldn’t take away anything
from his dominant title victory over Israel
Adesanya at UFC
293.
Raised in an abusive home, “Tarzan” has been vocal about his
inability to socialize and form trusting relationships with others.
However, mixed martial arts seems to have altered his view on life
and people in general.
The Xtreme Couture representative seemed uncharacteristically
collected as he fought his way to victory against one of the best
strikers of all time over 25 minutes.
While the win is a source of great pride for “Tarzan” and his team,
for Strickland’s head coach, Eric Nicksick, the human aspect of the
win is of special significance after having successfully channeled
his fighter’s energy.
“Sean the fighter is one thing, but Sean the human being is
different,” Nicksick said in a recent interview with The
Schmo. “So as a coach it’s nice to be able to help kind of
shepherd this guy in a position to where he realizes his full
potential.”
While Strickland didn’t have much to lose going into the fight,
which he earned with a small stroke of fate, the 32-year-old did
get last-minute jitters. However, Strickland’s confidence was
restored when he saw how much his coach believed in him. Nicksick
shared what he told his athlete in the pre-fight pep talk.
“Something we said in the back before we walked out, he was just
very, say, unsure,” Nicksick said. “Like I could feel his energy.
And I looked at him and I said, ‘Hey bro, we’re gonna win this
fight, and you gotta believe it as much as I do.’ After the fight
he’s like, ‘Man I didn’t know, I didn’t believe it and then I saw
how much you believe in me and it made me believe in myself.’”