Eric Nicksick says one major hurdle stands between a Sean Strickland vs. Israel Adesanya fight at UFC 293.
With Dricus Du Plessis seemingly unable to make the Sept. 9 event in Sydney for middleweight champion Adesanya’s next title defense, Strickland (27-5 MMA, 14-5 UFC) seemingly is next in line.
Strickland’s coach Nicksick recently revealed his team is on board and training for the fight, but that won’t happen until Strickland can obtain a visa for Australia.
“I mean, all signs are pointing in a good direction,” Nicksick told Submission Radio. “I know that. So, we just got done sparring just now. I’d ask Sean, ‘Hey, what’s the deal?’ – I’m going to be out there anyway. I’m going to be cornering Casey O’Neill and Manel (Kape). So, it’d be nice to get a get the third guy on the card. But right now, all he’s working on is getting his visa in order. But the fight, the signs look like it’s a yes. It’s all pointing in a good direction. But it hasn’t been official yet. So, we’re still kind of in a holding pattern.”
Strickland had previously mentioned he’d like a pay bump to challenge Adesanya (24-2 MMA, 13-2 UFC) on short notice, but Nicksick is confident they can reach an agreement with the UFC once their visa issue is solved.
“We’re just kind of at the mercy of the visa process,” Nicksick said. “But he said all parties involved are on board. We haven’t talked any logistics as far as numbers go until that visa gets done. And then that would be the next hurdle. But I don’t think it would be that difficult of a hurdle to cross. But moreover, I think the visa thing is the biggest hurdle that we have to get through right now. And then once we get over that, man, and then the business kicks in and I think we’ll be good to go.”
Strickland, 32, rides back-to-back wins over rising middleweights Nassourdine Imavov and Abus Magomedov. He has spent some time training with former champion Alex Pereira, who knocked him out at UFC 276.
Pereira believes Strickland has the ability to upset Adesanya, and Nicksick sees him presenting a different challenge for “The Stylebender.”
“Sean just… he poses a weird threat,” Nicksick said. “You know, with his durability, his pressure, the way he gets in guys’ faces, the way that he likes to fight, he poses a different threat that I think than a lot of people have seen.
“But it’s nice when a guy like Alex, the guy who we stepped in there against and a guy who’s also fought Izzy more times than anybody, it’s nice to hear him give you that vote of confidence. But that’s one thing. But we’re the ones that have to go in there and go out and execute it. So, that’s a whole different story as well. But it’s nice when the guy gives you that vote of confidence. But sometimes, man, you just take it for what it is.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 293.