Sean Strickland is infamous for his “anybody, anywhere, any time” approach to sparring. Consequently, he spars a lot to keep the pace going. The former middleweight champion often shares footage of scrapping and even got in trouble for posting a KOing clip. Team Xtreme Couture coach Eric Nicksick says that Strickland has frequently been sparring with Francis Ngannou as well!
In July 2023, he shocked the world revealing that he sometimes fights with Ngannou. ‘The Predator’, an ex-UFC heavyweight is one of the biggest punchers in history and about 100lbs heavier. On his ever-so-viral appearance on ‘The Joe Rogan Experience’ (JRE MMA Show), he confirmed rumors about it being true. During a ‘JAXXON’ Podcast appearance, Nicksick let out the mentality behind it to co-hosts Bear Degidio and Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson.
Tell you what man, Sean – Sean will spar Francis. I swear to God. Hand to God! Look, Sean says the same thing. He’s like ‘Listen, …Listen I spar him because there is no other person that can put the fu*king fear of God in me the way that Francis can.’ So it makes you spar a particular way…
Erik Nicksick on the ‘JAXXON’ Podcast
Ngannou and his heavyweight shot power are viral even to this day, including his Brazilinator punching record. Other than that, the Cameroonian also wobbled former WBC Lineal heavyweight Tyson Fury during their Riyadh Season opening ceremony bout. Both Fury and an anticipating coach, Mike Tyson, stated that Ngannou had probably punched the Brit the hardest.
🤯Coach Erik Nicksick revealed that Sean Strickland frequently spars with Francis Ngannou.
“I spar him [Francis Ngannou] because there is no f*****g person what can put fear of God in me the way that Francis can.” – said Erick Nicksick quoting Sean Strickland
🎥 YT Jaxxon… pic.twitter.com/0kx6ZFFuXK
— Home of Fight (@Home_of_Fight) October 4, 2024
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.
