Eric Nicksick wasn't trying to kick Sean Strickland while he was down at UFC 312, he was trying to lift him up. The former UFC middleweight champion and the coach that helped get him there could be on better terms a few weeks removed from Strickland's last fight against Dricus du Plessis in Sydney,

In the days and weeks following UFC 312, Strickland heard criticism from a multitude of sources, including some of his longtime adversaries. But his head coach, Eric Nicksick, made headlines by admitting that Strickland had an ‘uninspiring’ showing and questioned future collaborations with the former champion.

Strickland (29-7 MMA, 16-7 UFC) was criticized for his dominant unanimous decision loss to middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis (23-2 MMA, 9-0 UFC) in this past Saturday’s headliner at Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney. Strickland broke his nose in Round 4, but many thought he failed to show a sense of urgency throughout the fight.