Eric Nicksick has witnessed Sean Strickland and UFC middleweight champion Khamzat Chimaev on the mats together.
Chimaev spent some time training at Xtreme Couture with Strickland a few years ago, and the pair now find themselves on the cusp of a potential title fight after Strickland finished Anthony Hernandez in Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 267 headliner in Houston.
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But things are far from cordial between Strickland (30-7 MMA, 17-7 UFC) and Chimaev (15-0 MMA, 9-0 UFC) now. Strickland passed the grappler test against Hernandez, but against Chimaev, he’ll be taking on a force no one has found an answer for on the ground.
“We’re going to have our work cut out for us, and we know that,” Nicksick told Submission Radio. “If we can shut some of that stuff down and make him doubt on any of these routes that he’s on, especially when it comes to the ground game, he’s very systematic.
“If we can disrupt some of the chain wrestling that he puts together and make him restart and put some doubt in his mind, that’s where we have to be successful – if and when you defend those takedowns, making him pay for it. Telling him, ‘Hey, if you’re going to come in here, you’re going to have to pay a price for that.'”
Chimaev insists he submitted Strickland in practice numerous times, while Strickland says he made the champion quit. So, what really happened?
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“I think what happens in the training room should stay in the training room. Training is training. Guys should be putting themselves in less advantageous positions to make themselves better,” Nicksick said. “We do a lot of situational sparring, situational training. Outside of camp, guys should be working on things, and guys should be exploring new options and trying to develop new tactics and techniques.
“Thinking that just because you beat a guy in the training room, whether you’re on the A side or B side, you shouldn’t take that into the fight. What happens in the training room, I feel like, should stay in the room. I think both guys are great competitors and game opponents. So, to me, none of that stuff matters in the room.”
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Sean Strickland’s coach details blueprint to beating Khamzat Chimaev
