Sean Strickland is infamous for his 'anybody, anywhere, any time' approach to sparring. Consequently, he spars a lot to keep the pace going.
"Put the fear of god!" WILD Sean Strickland's sparring session with Francis Ngannou revealed
First Sportz 1 year ago
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While the Cameroonian knockout artist became a free agent and is the best hot signing for rival promotions PFL, Strickland keeps to his sparring traits and momentum. His take on the Philly game and the defensive shelling might not always get the exciting result. But 'Tarzan' revolutionized going berserk from pockets of his shell boxing in UFC competition. This isn't the only time the 33-year-old has sparred with Ngannou though, says Nicksick.
Coach Eric Nicksick reiterates Sean Strickland spars with Francis Ngannou to feel 'close to death'
Sean Strickland is well known for his unorthodox gym sparring sessions. Strickland is willing to spar with any fighter, regardless of weight class, according to trainer Eric Nicksick. That has included hulking 265lbers as well. The former 185lb champ says it's easy to hit heavyweight but tough as a truck to get hit.
Nicksick once said that 'Tarzan' would call out Francis Ngannou despite the weight disparity as many times he could. Ngannou also trains at Xtreme Couture in Las Vegas. Other than that, Strickland has his eyes on other standouts. Case in point: there was an instance, per the coach, where he and ex-UFC heavyweight Roy Nelson attempted to knock each other out; Nicksick explained why:
But that dude [Sean Strickland] will literally spar anybody in our gym. He calls Francis out every sparring session, he loves to spar Francis because he goes, 'I wanna feel like as close to death as possible and I wanna have that fear of god in my heart, everytime I spar a guy like Francis Ngannou.' …I watched him with Roy Nelson, go after it last week. Those two tried to knock each other's heads off.
Eric Nicksick to Damon Martin (@DamonMartin) for MMAFighting on SBN (SBNation Network)Strickland (29-6 MMA, 16-6 UFC) lost his title to Dricus Du Plessis by split decision at the UFC 297 pay-per-view in January. While he rebounded with a decision win, he is adamant to get back what's his. He is on the bill for a rematch for the title and will have a lot of avenues to put his sparring to good use.
Erik Nicksick on the 'JAXXON' Podcast Eric Nicksick to Damon Martin (@DamonMartin) for MMAFighting on SBN (SBNation Network)(929 Articles Published)
Dibaas is an avid combat sports enthusiast and an MMA writer at FirstSportz. His knack of the sport started early, ranging as far back as UFC 81: Breaking Point; the first match watched. Barring a few years in the middle, he got back in the fold watching the rise of the likes of Conor McGregor, Kamaru Usman, and others... He also happens to be in the habit of writing, wherein his interests collide. He loves to report on anything and everything within the combat sports bubble. He has helped in freelance social redesign and rebranding for a few Instagram businesses, as well as digital/manual art restoration. He has a year of experience as Community service Associate, 4+ years of experience as a freelance content writer, and a year of experience in target-oriented writing. Currently, he delves into topics of MMA, Boxing, and Kickboxing to the best of his ability and share it with a dedicated audience.
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