Daniel Cormier TV - DC REACTS to Sean Strickland & Eric Nicksick PUBLIC BEEF over Dricus Du Plessis fight

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Herd with Colin Cowherd Episode: Daniel Cormier TV - DC REACTS to Sean Strickland & Eric Nicksick PUBLIC BEEF over Dricus Du Plessis Fight
Release Date: February 14, 2025
Host/Author: iHeartPodcasts and The Volume
Description: The Herd with Colin Cowherd is a thought-provoking, opinionated, and topic-driven journey through the top sports stories of the day.

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Introduction

In this episode of The Herd with Colin Cowherd, the focus shifts to the heated exchange between UFC fighters Sean Strickland and Dricus Du Plessis, delving into the public disagreements involving Sean's coach, Eric Nicksick. The discussion provides an in-depth analysis of the fight's outcome, the dynamics between fighter and coach, and the broader implications for both individuals involved.

Fight Analysis: Strickland vs. Du Plessis

Bobby Bones opens the discussion by examining Sean Strickland's recent bout against Dricus Du Plessis, highlighting the surprising outcome of the fight. Despite Strickland entering the match with high expectations, Du Plessis delivered a dominant performance, leaving Strickland without a clear strategy to counter his opponent effectively.

"Sean Strickland went in there with this idea that the fight was going to be different than it was... but it played out in the way that it did." ([05:20])

Bones emphasizes that Du Plessis outclassed Strickland, resulting in a decisive victory that has significantly tarnished Strickland's reputation among fans and peers alike.

Public and Peer Reactions

The aftermath of the fight has seen a notable shift in public perception of Sean Strickland. Bobby references comments from notable figures in the MMA community, including Luke Rockhold and Dean Thomas.

"Dean Thomas said he felt cheated. I didn't really agree. I thought that he really just got outclassed in that fight." ([07:45])

Despite some backlash, Bones maintains that Strickland was simply outperformed, suggesting that the criticism stems more from unmet expectations than actual misconduct.

Coach-Fighter Relationship: Sean Strickland & Eric Nicksick

A significant portion of the discussion revolves around the strained relationship between Sean Strickland and his coach, Eric Nicksick. Bones recounts the tense interactions observed during the fight, noting Strickland's apparent frustration and reluctance to accept coaching during the match.

"Sean was kind of walking away from Coach Nixic, so you could tell that there was a little bit of an issue." ([09:10])

Bones criticizes the possibility of Sean severing ties with a long-standing coach, emphasizing the challenges and potential instability this could introduce to his career.

"You don't get to coach all world champs. You coach world champions." ([10:05])

He further elaborates on the importance of maintaining strong coach-fighter relationships, especially at the elite levels of the sport, suggesting that Strickland's actions may lead to significant changes within his training camp.

Implications for Extreme Couture Gym

The conversation shifts to the broader impact of this public beef on the Extreme Couture gym, where Eric Nicksick has been a pivotal figure. Bones speculates on possible fallout, suggesting that Strickland's dissatisfaction could signal upcoming transformations within the gym's structure.

"We're going to be seeing more changes coming out of that Extreme Couture gym." ([10:50])

He underscores the difficulty of replacing a head coach of Nicksick's caliber, questioning the feasibility of Sean's attempts to distance himself without disrupting the gym's established hierarchy.

Fighter Conduct and Professionalism

Bobby Bones addresses the criticism surrounding Strickland's decision to continue fighting despite a broken nose, debating whether this demonstrates resilience or poor judgment. He argues that regardless of the injury, continuing the fight does not inherently earn favor or respect.

"You'd have called him a quitter if he walked away when he broke his nose." ([10:30])

Bones stresses the importance of judging fighters based on their performance and decisions within the octagon, separate from personal relationships or external opinions.

Conclusion: Moving Forward

Wrapping up the discussion, Bobby Bones reflects on the need for Sean Strickland to evaluate his priorities and professional relationships seriously. He advocates for accountability and maintaining high standards within the sport, emphasizing that both fighters and coaches must operate at their best to achieve success.

"Ultimately, the fault is on Sean Strickland because he is the one that did not operate at the level that his coaches expected him to." ([10:55])

Bones concludes by expressing optimism about the future of Extreme Couture Gym, while cautioning Strickland to navigate his current challenges thoughtfully to preserve his career and relationships within the MMA community.

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This episode offers a comprehensive analysis of the complexities surrounding Sean Strickland's recent fight and his relationship with coach Eric Nicksick. Bobby Bones provides insightful commentary on the implications for Strickland's career and the broader MMA landscape, making it a must-listen for fans interested in the intricacies of fighter dynamics and professional sportsmanship.

Transcript

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[Bobby Bones]

The Volume what's up guys? I'm in Las Vegas. Obviously we're doing the Ultimate Fighter, but I cannot stay away from my friends, especially when stuff going on in mixed martial arts and especially when it starts to get a little bit messy. I like mess, as I have stated on a number of occasions and it seems like it's getting a little messy in the Sean Strickland camp. First off, last weekend when Sean Strickland fought Dricus du Plessis, I think he went in there with this idea that the fight was going to be different than it was, obviously. But when it started going in the way that it did, he had no plan or no pivot to try and change the way the fight was going. So it played out in the way that it did. And it was a dominant performance by Dricus Dupassi. But when you get your fighter gets beat in the way that Strickland got beat, obviously people are going to start talking. The world has turned on Sean Strickland in a way that's a little surprising. Right. Like my boy Luke Rockhold was talking about it the other day, talking about, you say you're going to die out there, you better. Dean Thomas, who I respect so greatly, Luke Rockwood obviously is one of my best friends. I respect him greatly. Dean Thomas said he felt cheated. I didn't really agree. I thought that he really just got outclassed in that fight. Sometimes you're in there and sometimes things don't work in the way that you expect them to work. Now, it was surprising for me to hear it from Luke and Dean, Luke in particular, because Mike Perry hit him in the face, broke his teeth and he stopped. And I don't blame him for it. I literally told Luke's ass, I go, don't fight this dude in bare knuckle fighting. He's a psychopath. He's going to beat you. Luke thought he was too small. Mike Perry ultimately won the fight, but that's not even here nor there, right? It's just I don't know that the guy did not live up to what people said he was supposed to live up to. I think he really just got beat. And at the end of the day, sometimes we got to simplify things and call a spade of spade. Dricus is better than Sean Strickland. We've seen it now in two fights. But that's not why I'm here. I'm here because after the fight, Eric Nitzick, Sean's coach, had some words to say. And again, when your fighter gets beat in that way, any great coach will have words to say about said fighter. In the vast majority of those words will be harsh. So I don't blame Coach Nitzick for what he said. He said, I think he needs to evaluate what he wants to do in his sport. Nixic, if it's just to make money, that's great. Let us know. I want to coach world champions, so my motivations are different. I think that just to kind of show up and do that and not really back it up, to me, it's kind of uninspiring. Look, I guess I gotta walk that back a little bit. The only area that I think Coach Nixic was wrong was I want to coach world champs. Not everybody's going to be a world Champ. You don't get to coach all world champs. You coach world champions. You coach guys that might get to the Contender Series and lose. You coach guys that might get to an LFA title, and that'd be it. You might get a guy that comes to the ufc, has a cup of tea, zero and two, and he's out. So you don't get to coach just world champions. I get the thought of what he's saying, but not everybody gets there, right. So to make that your goal. But I don't know publicly if you say that. But any great coach will have words for their athlete. I got to be honest with you guys when I walked into the Octagon Saturday, because I have a relationship with Dricus, his manager. I have a relationship with Sean and his coaches. And I walked up to Eric and I go, it was the same fight. It was the same fight. I go. And Eric goes, yeah, he goes. And you could see the frustration. You could see the frustration in between rounds. You could actually see Sean kind of walking away from Eric as Eric was given instructions in between rounds. Now, if these guys have a severed relationship, you can't. It can't be recognized on the world's biggest stage. It can't be still on display when you make that walk. If the relationship was severed and Sean said something a little bit about it, this training camp was just hell. If that was the case, he shouldn't have been there in the first place, because if you're not going to listen to that guy, a guy who has coached multiple world champions, Al, Jermaine Sterling, Francis Ngannou, and so many others, don't bring him there. Sean was kind of walking away from Coach Nik Sik, so you could tell that there was a little bit of an issue, and we made mention of it on the broadcast. He just didn't seem to accept the instruction as openly as you would think he should. So I don't blame coach. I think any great coach needs to judge their athletes fairly, but very harsh whenever they don't compete to the ability that you expect them to. Because if you don't, who's going to? Especially in a world where most people are just saying yes. Strickland said everybody was hitting me up about this Eric thing. He goes, eric is a great friend of mine, and he will continue to be my friend. Will he be in my corner? No. We have great coaches at extreme, and I look forward to work with those guys. Guys. That all sounds really good in theory. It really does. They're friends. I get it. But he's the head coach of that gym. Do you believe that when we were all fighting, especially fighting at the top of the sport, that we could pick and choose and go, well, we don't want Javier Mendez in our corner. He was the head coach of the gym. I don't know that it works like that. And if that's what the idea is supposed to be, I think we're going to be seeing more changes coming out of that Extreme Couture gym. And when it's that, right when you have more changes, it's not the coach, guys, it's not the coach. So I think Sean needs to be very careful in this sense. And Eric's a great guy, so it might actually be okay. Eric might be a guy. They might go, okay, Sean, you can work with other people, but I will tell you, in most instances, you don't get to just X out the head coach and go about your business freely. It just doesn't work like that. He's the head coach for a reason. Eric's been at this gym for a really long time. They're going to have some hard conversations coming out of that gym. But ultimately, the fault is on Sean Strickland because he is the one that did not operate at the level that his coaches expected him to. That's it. And that's why the frustration was there from Coach Nixon. I walked into the octagon, yes. And said that same fight. He goes, oh, yeah, we didn't really change anything. And they were very adamant, leading into the fight of the changes that they needed to make. They knew what they had to do different. They knew and understood that the pace needed to be higher. Sean needed to be more active. But what happened in that octagon that made Sean Strickland go, I can't be more active, ultimately, obviously went to the broken nose and everything. But up until that point, round one was an extension of what we saw in round two, three, four of fight number one. Just the same thing. And I think that's credit to Drake, his Duplessis. But I do disagree with you guys on that in this regard. I don't think he quit. He could have quit, and I don't think nobody would have blamed him. Would you guys have judged him less harshly if he walked away when he broke his nose? No. You'd have called him a quitter. So him staying in there and continuing to fight with the busted nose doesn't earn any good favor. He was losing. It was three rounds to zero. This dude can do math. He probably recognized I'm down, kind of over now I've got a broken nose and he still chose to fight so we got to be careful how we judge these fighters. I know Sean can be a lot, but it doesn't matter when judging what he did inside the Octagon. Hey, I'm excited about what comes out of extreme cultural because Sean's trying to bat it away. I just don't know that he knows it's much more serious than just going, he's my friend, I love him. I'm going to stay in the gym but do something different. I don't think it works like that, especially when you're talking about the head coach. Guys, it's time to go film the Ultimate Fighter. Thank you for listening to me. Thank you for always supporting me. I appreciate you guys more than you would ever know. Till next time, like subscribe and tell your friends about my YouTube channel and I will be giving you guys behind the scenes stuff from the Ultimate Fighter as we get close to the show. Till next time. Peace.

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