UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira made headlines in the MMA world earlier this month, despite having his own title fight scheduled for the next month at UFC 313. Putting his own preparations on hold, the Brazilian stepped into an unexpected role, joining forces with his former rival-turned-close friend, Sean Strickland. Serving as the American’s cornerman, ‘Poatan’ helped him gear up for his middleweight title rematch against reigning champion Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 312. However, despite the intense preparation, ‘Tarzan’ was unable to reclaim the belt.

Now, with Sean Strickland falling to 0-2 against ‘Stillknocks’ and failing to regain his title, the aftermath has been far from easy. Not only is he grappling with the disappointment of his loss, but he is also facing criticism from his coach at Xtreme Couture, Eric Nicksick. Frustrated with the verbose American’s unwillingness to follow instructions from his corner, Nicksick believes his fighter’s defiance played a significant role in the defeat. In the immediate aftermath, Nicksick did not hold back, labeling ‘Trazan’s performance as “uninspiring.”

However, after facing backlash from fans for his remarks, Nicksick later ascribed that his criticism was intended to motivate the American. Despite this clarification, he recently doubled down on his stance, highlighting what he saw as a missed opportunity—Sean Strickland’s failure to fully utilize the presence of Alex Pereira during camp.

Explaining his perspective on YouTube, Nicksick stated, “I wish we had used Alex Pereira more in the back, just to get his eyes sharp and ready. Danny did a great job on the pads, but at the end of the day,  It doesn’t always have to follow a strict routine, and by that point, it’s too late for strategy. It’s more about feel—’How do you feel? Are you sharp?'”

Reflecting on past fights, Nicksick noted a key difference: “I remember during the Paulo Costa fight, Strickland was in the back, damn near sparring Eblen. But it was all about his defense—parrying, slipping, countering. He warmed up, but that’s on him. We asked, ‘How do you feel?’ He said, ‘I feel good.’ We offered, ‘Do you want to spar a little with Alex?’ He said, ‘No, I’m good.’ And that was that.”

Strickland and Pereira first crossed paths in the Octagon in 2022 at UFC 276 in a heated middleweight non-title bout. In the lead-up to the fight, the American unleashed his signature trash talk, relentlessly taunting Pereira. However, once the cage doors closed, the Brazilian let his fists do the talking, delivering a brutal first-round knockout.

Despite their past rivalry, the two developed a close bond last year when Strickland joined ‘Poatan’s camp to help him prepare for his third title defense. However, Strickland’s lackluster performance at UFC 312 reportedly left both his coach and Pereira disappointed.

Eric Nicksick disclosed Alex Pereira’s reaction to Sean Strickland’s performance at UFC 312

Many fans believe that Alex Pereira flew all the way to Australia to support Sean Strickland. However, this is not the case. Coach Eric Nicksick is grateful to the Brazilian for giving his time to support ‘Tarzan’, his former foe, despite not understanding each other’s language. It was actually Strickland who first stepped forward to help Pereira prepare for his fight against Khalil Rountree Jr. at UFC 307, held in Utah in September last year.

In his latest interview with Ariel Helwani, Xtreme Couture’s head honcho shared insights about Pereira’s involvement with Sean Strickland. Nicksick said, “He’s [Pereira] cool, man, like, he’s just intimidating as hell. So, but he was cool—like, he leaned over a few times and he’s looking at me like, ‘What the hell is going on with Sean?’ He’s cool, a lot of great insight. Love having him there. A lot of people thought that he flew all the way out there to corner Sean, but that was not the case. He was already there. That’s why we wanted him in the corner—he was already there. He was already a resource for us.”

What’s your opinion on Sean Strickland’s performance at UFC 312? Despite training alongside the 205lbs kingpin, do you think ‘Tarzan’ failed to absorb the skills that could have given him an edge in his title fight rematch against Dricus Du Plessis? Share your thoughts below.