Eric Nicksick, Sean Strickland’s coach, believes that the champ’s pace will aid his victory over Dricus Du Plessis in their UFC 297 main event bout on January 20 at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto.
Nicksick admitted that Du Plessis has the pace and said that the team is expecting the opponent to go fast when he faces Strickland in the cage. Nonetheless, the Xtreme Couture Mixed Martial Arts head coach believes his student will overtake the fight after a while.
“I think it’s going to be a matter of setting a precedent on the pace,” Nicksick told Inside Fighting. “I feel like Dricus is going to come out hard, heavy and fast right away, and we’re going to have to manage that pace in the first couple of rounds. Once Sean gets into the fight, I think that’s when Sean’s really going to be able to take over. I expect it to be a barnburner. Both of these guys are right where they belong.”
It will be the first title defense of Strickland after stealing the belt from Israel Adesanya at UFC 293 via unanimous decision. Nicksick affirmed beliefs that first belt defenses are always the tough ones for new champs but said that the team is making the preparations to secure Strickland’s success.
“I was always told by Randy (Couture) and something I always look at is the hardest fight of your career is your first title defense,” Nicksick said. “It’s going to be up to us to make sure we’re on our Ps and Qs and go out there and defend this belt.”
For Du Plessis, nonetheless, the fight with the champion will be more than speed. “Stillknocks” believes it will all be about power, promising to deliver heavy blows to ensure his win.
“I don’t think to fight his pace is a smart move,” told Submission Radio. I know I’m more athletic, I’m stronger physically, and (I’ll be) using that to my advantage – making sure I hit harder, but making sure that every shot I throw lands, making sure I land those punches and I’m not just standing there in the pocket throwing with him, because that’s his fight style. That’s his style. (I need to be) making sure that I’m fighting a smart fight and that whatever I throw – I need one shot. I need to land one shot. If Pereira can knock him out, I can knock him out even better.”
