Sean Strickland’s coach Eric Nicksick plans to have his fighter prepared if he gets the call to fight at UFC 293 in September.
After Strickland (27-5 MMA, 14-5 UFC) defeated Abus Magomedov by second-round TKO in the UFC on ESPN 48 main event earlier this month, he put himself in striking distance of a middleweight title shot. However, one week later, Dricus Du Plessis made a definitive statement as to who is next in line to challenge reigning champion Israel Adesanya when he upset Robert Whittaker at UFC 290.
All signs point to an Adesanya (24-2 MMA, 13-2 UFC) vs. Du Plessis (20-2 MMA, 6-0 UFC) grudge match for the belt going down at UFC 293, which takes place Sept. 9 at Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney, but it has not been officially announced. There’s a chance it doesn’t materialize and Strickland gets the call to fight Adesanya instead, but Xtreme Couture head coach Nicksick said that, at worst, he expects Strickland to be positioned as the backup fighter.
