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Tag: Eric Nicksick

  • Manel Kape, Eric Nicksick Suggest Hotel Fight Was Planned Attack From Muhammad Mokaev’s Team Ahead Of UFC 304

    Manel Kape, Eric Nicksick Suggest Hotel Fight Was Planned Attack From Muhammad Mokaev’s Team Ahead Of UFC 304

    UFC flyweight contender Manel Kape and his coach believe it was Muhammad Mokaev and his team’s intention to start a brawl days out from their showdown in Manchester, England.

    The pair of top 125lbers are set to do battle at UFC 304 this weekend, with their matchup marking one of the most important when it comes to direct implications to a divisional title picture.

    And more than just their career ambitions, it would appear that both are being driven by some bad blood in this one.

    That boiled over on Wednesday night at the fighter hotel, where the two fighters and their teams got into a brawl. Footage was posted by the @Home_of_Fight page on X and showed security personnel frantically attempting to pull the two sides apart.

    Spur-of-the-moment brawls are nothing new in the UFC, but that’s not what one side of the scrap believes happened…

    Kape & Nicksick Claim Hotel Fight Was A Set-Up

    Following the incident, Kape took to social media to give his side of the story.

    The former Rizin champion claimed Mokaev had respectfully asked to take a picture with him before attempting to sucker-punch him. “Starboy” berated his UFC 304 opponent for the “betrayal,” insisting his actions weren’t befitting of their shared religion and promising “carnage” from here on out.

    Interestingly, Kape also made note of an altercation in Las Vegas, admitting to hitting Mokaev but doing so in a fairer way. The Angola-born Portuguese flyweight had previously denied rumors of a physical clash with “The Punisher” at the UFC’s Performance Institute.

    “What kind of Muslim are you? You gave me Salam asked to take a picture and then tried to punch me in the betrayal, i can see now you are not a child of the (Dagestan), because there are created men you are just a poor bastard raised on a low income in Manchester without honor and principles,” Kape wrote. “When I hit you in Vegas I went alone and I told you to be ready, I don’t hit men with their guard down or distracted or on the back. I thought everything was solved, but now the carnage will continue… Shaytan!”

    Kape’s claim was quickly corroborated by his coach, Xtreme Couture’s Eric Nicksick. The renowned trained told MMA Junkie that Mokaev had approached Kape under the guise of taking a photo with a “Muslim brother.” Nicksick stated that Kape was then attacked by the opposition team.

    The image posted by Kape showing a cut to Mokaev’s head would appear to be from the aftermath of their Vegas clash, with the Dagestan-born Brit posting a clean-faced picture to refute suggestions he emerged damaged from their hotel fight.

  • Coach Eric Nicksick Lays Heavy Praise On Tom Aspinall Ahead Of UFC 304: ‘He Hits Pads Like Some Of My 145ers’ 

    Coach Eric Nicksick Lays Heavy Praise On Tom Aspinall Ahead Of UFC 304: ‘He Hits Pads Like Some Of My 145ers’ 

    Renowned mixed martial arts coach Eric Nicksick was left impressed by the ability of Tom Aspinall when the interim UFC heavyweight champion stopped by the Xtreme Couture gym.

    Aspinall is currently gearing up for his first assignment of 2024. It’s set to be a big one, as he’ll defend the interim belt in a rematch with veteran contender Curtis Blaydes in the co-main event of the UFC 304 pay-per-view.

    While not the unification showdown with Jon Jones that he had hoped for, Aspinall will be making the walk in front of his home crowd, with Manchester’s Co-op Live hosting UFC action for the very first time.

    Should Aspinall emerge with the interim title still in his possession, those pushing for Jones to abandon his plans to face Stipe Miocic will no doubt grow louder. Many of them are so high on Aspinall that they believe he could get the better of the consensus greatest of all time.

    And when it comes to those with a keen eye for talent, Aspinall couldn’t do much better than one recent endorsement…

    Nicksick High On Aspinall After Xtreme Couture Training

    During a recent interview with talkSPORT MMA, Xtreme Couture coach Eric Nicksick looked ahead to the UFC’s next numbered event, paying particular attention to one of two champs set to headline it on July 27.

    During a trip to the US earlier this year, Aspinall got some work in with Nicksick at his Las Vegas facility. In addition to the pair bonding and forming a friendship, the renowned coach got to see first hand the kind of skills that have left the interim champ widely branded the leader in the next generation of heavyweights.

    “Man, he was just as advertised as an athlete, but I think moreover just the human being that he is,” Nicksick said. “You see these guys on TV and you see their athleticism and how well they fight. That’s one thing, but then when you get to meet the individual and actually have a conversation with him and see how great of a human being they are, that even raises your level of enthusiasm.

    “Him and his brother came in and they were just a joy to work with,” Nicksick continued. “I’m a Tom Aspinall fan and I’m super excited to see him fight. … He’s in that top three (heavyweights in the world), a hundred percent. And I think he’s just scratching the surface with his potential. The athleticism that he has, from the feet to the floor, what he’s able to do, all of it is very high level. The thing I noticed the most about him was his feet, how well he moved side to side; his lateral moment, his speed. … Honest to god, he hits pads like some of my 145ers. He understands the angles and how to hit and not be hit.”

    Aspinall will look to show the talents Nicksick mentioned when he makes the walk on home soil for the third consecutive year.

    And having had his headliner with Blaydes end in disaster in the summer of 2022, the Manchester native has the chance to right that wrong and avenge the sole setback on his UFC slate thus far.

    Nicksick himself will likely be watching on, be it from the arena or fighter hotel in the English city. The top coach is scheduled to be at UFC 304 to corner Manel Kape for his flyweight showdown with Muhammad Mokaev on the main card.

  • Eric Nicksick Admits Last-Minute Technique Advice To Dan Ige May Have Cost Him UFC 303 Fight Against Diego Lopes: ‘My Heart Hurt…’

    Eric Nicksick Admits Last-Minute Technique Advice To Dan Ige May Have Cost Him UFC 303 Fight Against Diego Lopes: ‘My Heart Hurt…’

    For his short-notice co-main event fight with Diego Lopes at UFC 303, Eric Nicksick was in Dan Ige’s corner. By coaching two former UFC champs, Francis Ngannou and Sean Strickland, Nicksick has gained a ton of acclaim in MMA circles.

    At UFC 303, the coach had an unprecedented challenge as Ige only had four hours to weigh in, rehydrate, and, well, also figure out his in-fight strategy. Their goal was to fight on instincts which, to be fair, worked pretty well.

    Showing his durability, “50k” survived Lopes’ explosive striking and constricting ground game in the first two rounds and outstruck the Brazilian in the third. A last-minute adjustment suggested by coach Nicksick worked against him, though, and may have cost him the UFC 303 co-main event.

    Eric Nicksick Looks Back At Mistake That Likely Cost Dan Ige A Round Against Diego Lopes At UFC 303

    Nicksick and Ige appeared on the UFC 303 recap episode of the Anik & Florian Podcast uploaded on the DraftKings YouTube channel. Remembering the fight, Nicksick admitted that he shouldn’t have asked Ige to throw a head kick.

    “To be honest with you, I’ve been having a little bit of sleepless nights because I f****d up going into round. In round two, I called for the same side head kick. Something that I thought, because no one’s ever seen Dan throw it.”

    Nicksick expected the side head kick to surprise Lopes as Ige had only recently added the move to his arsenal. “50k” followed these instructions two minutes into the second round. The kick landed but also helped Lopes secure a takedown.

    “It was the same side high when Dan went southpaw. And he threw it, and the shin bone landed on this dude’s head but we got taken down. And I looked over at Kai and I’m like, I just f****d us. Dude, my gut, I was like, I just f****d this man, my heart hurt.”

    Despite the takedown and three minutes of control time, Ige constantly fought off his back and prevented his opponent from submitting him.

    Unfortunately, due to the takedown, the round was scored by the judges for Lopes. And despite comfortably winning the third round, Ige lost a unanimous decision 29-28 on all scorecards.

  • Islam Makhachev’s Coach Outlines Flaw With Sean Strickland’s Performance At UFC 302: ‘Great Fighter, But…’

    The UFC 302 co-main event produced the kind of Sean Strickland performance that UFC fans have become very accustomed to at this stage.

    Strickland defeated Paulo Costa via a split decision at the end of five rounds following a fairly lacklustre fight.

    The former middleweight champion fought out of his standard defensive shell, constantly walked down his opponent and kept his strikes simple with jabs, the occasional combination and front kicks.

    Despite Costa being unable to land anything too significant aside from some leg kicks and body punches, the rounds were still close because despite taking little damage, Strickland didn’t open up.

    This was something that his corner were clearly concerned by following their defeats to Jared Cannonier and Dricus Du Plessis, where despite thinking that their fighter had done enough, they lost a decision following some very close rounds.

    Mendez Says Strickland Needed To Open Up More Against Costa, Credits Coach Nicksick For Urgency 

    There was no change in approach from Strickland even as Costa started to slow down which could have come back to bite him.

    His head coach, Eric Nicksick, was very clear heading into the fifth round that he needed to clearly win the final five minutes just in case the scorecards were close.

    Strickland opened up more as the fight came to a close and landed some eye-catching strikes that sealed the deal for him.

    During his podcast recap of the event, Islam Makhachev’s coach Javier Mendez spoke about Strickland and his defensive style.

    He pointed out how it was a great call from Nicksick to stress urgency after how close the former champion’s style can make fights look.

    “Sean Strickland is a great fighter but unfortunately, for me, he pressured, he pressured, he was in control but it wasn’t until his corner gave him great advice, Eric Nicksick is a great coach, he told him ‘hey, I need you to finish strong’, this and that and he didn’t really finish strong until the very very end and actually that’s what solidified that fight for him because that’s what gave him that round. But up to that point, because you don’t know how the judges are judging these fights. It’s ridiculous the way they were judging this fight so he did it correct, he did great cornering.”    

  • Sean Strickland’s Coach Highlights Aspect Of UFC 302 Fight Paulo Costa Will Struggle With The Most

    Sean Strickland’s Coach Highlights Aspect Of UFC 302 Fight Paulo Costa Will Struggle With The Most

    Ahead of his showdown with Paulo Costa at UFC 302 this weekend, Sean Strickland’s high pace has been predicted to cause “Borrachinha” problems.

    Strickland entered 2024 with the middleweight gold in his possession. But after narrowly losing out to Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 297 in Canada — and subsequently having his calls for an immediate rematch fall on deaf ears — the former champion must earn a shot at redemption in Newark on Saturday night.

    To do so, “Tarzan” is tasked with getting past a fellow high-ranked contender in Paulo Costa, who impressed in defeat when making his long-awaited comeback against Robert Whittaker this past February at UFC 298 in Anaheim.

    The Brazilian has noted the importance of notching a finish on June 1 in order to stake his claim for a title shot. But should he be required to go the full distance, Costa has said nothing will stop him from having his hand raised.

    Unsurprisingly, Strickland’s coach isn’t so sure…

    Nicksick Plans To Use Strickland’s Cardio Against Costa

    During a recent interview with CBS Sports’ Shakiel Mahjouri, Nicksick was asked which area of this weekend’s UFC 302 co-main event that he sees as a possible struggle for his man’s opponent.

    The Xtreme Couture trainer pointed to Strickland’s renowned five-round pace as a hurdle that could prove to be too tall for Costa on fight night.

    “I think, to me, the cardio element, the pacing,” Nicksick said. “Sean dictates a certain kind of pace. Even Izzy (Israel Adesanya) said that after the fight. It’s hard to get a rhythm, hard to get a read on him, especially the first time you’ve ever been in the cage with him. So it takes a while for a lot of guys to feel comfortable.

    “Johnny Eblen said it the best. Johnny, the first three or four times he sparred with him was like, ‘Oh my god, this guy is overwhelming.’ It takes you a number of opportunities to start to get a rhythm with him,” Nicksick continued. “A lot of that, for me, is just to lean heavy on that, lean heavy on his awkwardness, and try to maintain that pace and pressure and stay in Paulo’s face; really, stay out of kicking range.”

    Strickland will hope to prove his coach right come fight night in New Jersey. Should he accomplish that feat, a potential rematch against either Du Plessis or his expected next opponent Adesanya could await him.

  • Coach: We Knew Ngannou’s Injury Was Leaked When The Odds Moved

    Francis Ngannou’s coach Eric Nicksick has revealed what convinced him and his team that the UFC heavyweight champion’s knee injury had been leaked prior to UFC 270.

    At the opening pay-per-view of 2022, Ngannou overcame adversity, pressure, and the odds to secure his status as the undisputed heavyweight king. In a battle against undefeated Frenchman Ciryl Gane, who was widely expected to bring a new breed of technical heavyweights to the top, “The Predator” adapted and re-strategized to hunt down his prey.

    After struggling to get close to Gane on the feet in the opening two rounds, Ngannou capitalized on a caught kick and took the fight to the ground. From there, he showed his improved wrestling game and maintained top control for much of the remaining minutes and, in doing so, secured a unanimous decision victory.

    As if the performance wasn’t impressive enough, Ngannou revealed in his post-fight interview that he’d fought through a torn MCL and damaged ACL. While rumors of a potential knee injury appeared to have been proven true when he entered the Octagon wearing knee wraps, not many would have expected the extent of the injury to have been as serious as it was.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/CZFgy3PsLf_/

    Nicksick Explains Why Ngannou’s Injury Was Always Going To Get Out

    Despite some rumors floating around, talk of a potential injury wasn’t as prevalent as many would have expected given the nature of it. That discussion came up during a recent episode of Bruce Buffer’s It’s Time! podcast. Co-host TJ De Santis questioned how the lines, which had Ngannou as an underdog, would have looked had news of the injury broke.

    Eric Nicksick, who appeared on the podcast alongside Ngannou and the champ’s manager Marquel Martin, pointed out that they knew people were aware of the damage prior to UFC 270. According to the Xtreme Couture coach, the leak was obvious once the betting lines began to shift.

    “They knew, TJ,” said Nicksick. “‘Cause I said to Marquel, ’cause we’re Vegas boys, I said to Marquel, like two weeks out, I go, ‘Hey, when we start seeing these lines move, the lines start moving, we’ll know that the word is out that he’s messed up.’ There’s enough eyes, enough people around, and it’s not like, malicious; it just happens to be that way.”

    Nicksick added that news of Ngannou’s hurt knee was always likely to get out, especially in Las Vegas.

    “If he’s at the PI getting his knee wrapped or he has a knee brace on, if one person sees it, he’s gonna tell three or five people,” added Nicksick. “And in Vegas, we know, we’re born and raised here, so they’re looking for any way they can to move that line. I told Marquel, ‘Hey, that line’s moving, the word is out.’”

    In late December, Ngannou was set as a narrow favorite by FanDuel, a line that flipped in the weeks prior to the event.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/CZISzJ7Prar/

    In the aftermath of 2022’s first UFC PPV, the seriousness of Ngannou’s injury was put into perspective. According to the Cameroonian, he’d been warned against fighting by a doctor due to the possibility of “irreversible damage.”

    Having bet on himself and on his knee, and won, Ngannou has emerged from the other side in a strong position, both in terms of his status in the heavyweight division and in contract negotiations with the UFC.

    What did you make of Francis Ngannou’s performance at UFC 270, especially given his knee injury?

  • Coach Reveals How Ngannou Has Dealt With Dramatic UFC 270 Buildup

    Xtreme Couture head coach Eric Nicksick doesn’t believe that heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou has been distracted ahead of UFC 270.

    Ngannou has had to deal with quite the buildup to his matchup with Ciryl Gane, including back-and-forths in the media with his former coach Fernand Lopez. Ngannou had a public split from Lopez and MMA Factory in which he has been accused of being a bad teammate and not paying fees.

    Sparring footage of Ngannou and Gane training together at MMA Factory has also leaked to the public, with many making assumptions of how the fight could play out. But during a recent interview with ESPN’s Phil Murphy, Nicksick claims that it’s business as usual for the heavyweight champ.

    “It’s a lot of the same. He doesn’t show a lot of emotion,” Nicksick said. “It’s hard to give the right analogy, but it’s a lot like a Shark cruising through the water and not bothered by anything. He’s very calm, very collect, and gathering everything through the process. Nothing’s really stood out to me that’s been alarming. It’s something else when you get him ready for a fight. It’s a Mike Tyson effect. When the lights come on, he’s always ready to go.”

    Ngannou and Gane also had an awkward run-in backstage at UFC 268 in which Ngannou walked past Gane and his team without acknowledging his former colleagues. Ngannou has accused the UFC of setting the whole thing up, which Gane has disagreed with.

    The UFC 270 main event will kick off the calendar year for the promotion, with Ngannou and Gane looking to prove who is arguably the baddest man on the planet. According to Ngannou’s coach, he doesn’t plan on fighting with emotion when he enters the Octagon.

    What are your thoughts on the Francis Ngannou/Ciryl Gane pre-fight buildup?