Sean Strickland’s wrestling ability is legit, says coach Eric Nicksick

Sean Strickland‘s head coach Eric Nicksick has spoken positively of his student’s wrestling prowess ahead of his next fight.

In the main event of UFC Houston, Sean Strickland will collide with Anthony Hernandez in a fight that has the potential to be an outstanding showcase of middleweight talent. Strickland is looking to prove that he can still be a legitimate title threat, whereas Hernandez is one of the fastest rising stars at 185 pounds, and he wants to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that he deserves a crack at the belt.

While we’re used to seeing Sean Strickland in the standing game, it’s well known that he does have the ability to wrestle – but he often chooses not to do so, often relying on his striking to get him through difficult challenges.

In a recent interview, Eric Nicksick provided an interesting insight into the wrestling ability of Sean Strickland.

Eric Nicksick on Sean Strickland’s wrestling

“Everyone in here knows how good Sean can wrestle and his ground game. Unfortunately we don’t see it as much as we’d like in a fight. … I think there’s a lot of backstory there with Chimaev being out here and training with us,” Nicksick told MMA Junkie.

He was a huge asset to the gym and the team when he and Darren Till came out. It was funny because those guys really hit it off and then all of a sudden, they were going back-and-forth on social media for this buildup.”

“Some of the things Sean and I were butting heads on were things that I think we needed to be better at as far as the training, the drilling, the preparation, and he’s bought in,” Nicksick said. “At the end of the day, wins and losses are going to come and go, but to me it’s a lot about our preparation and how invested we are in preparing for these types of fights. Man, he’s been all in. Not only has he been all in, so has the team.”

Quotes via MMA Junkie

Get ready, folks, because Strickland may show us something different in Houston.