"It's like Mariano Rivera" - Sean Strickland's coach aligns Khamzat Chimaev's fighting style with Yankees legend's skillset

Baseball and Mixed Martial Arts may not seem to have much in common, but New York Yankees legend Mariano Rivera was compared to UFC middleweight champion Khamzat Chimaev by Eric Nicksick, a renowned MMA coach. Nicksick, who operates out of Xtreme Couture, is best known for coaching former undisputed UFC champions Sean Strickland and Francis Ngannou.

Nicksick gave his intriguing Rivera-Chimaev comparison during his interview with MMA Junkie Radio's George and Brian Garcia on Thursday. Nicksick was asked about how to prepare for a fight against Chimaev, who recently won the middleweight title by defeating Dricus du Plessis at UFC 319.

"I think it's a number of things," Nicksick said (Timestamp: 8:15). "I think if you can also learn from what Khamzat does really well and tying his level changes into his striking, into his fit-ins offensively, and be able to take some of that and apply it to some of your fighters that fit. And then, also, what do you do if you fight a guy like that?"

Nicksick then reflected on a key moment during the Chimaev fight with Dricus du Plessis, imagining himself in "Stillknock's" corner. Since du Plessis spent much of the bout trapped under Chimaev on the ground, the Nicksick admitted it would have been difficult for any fighter to mount meaningful offense in that position.

"That's the tough part when you have a guy like Khamzat, where he can dictate where the fight goes and where the fight takes place," Nicksick added (Timestamp: 9:03). "You know it's coming. It's like Mariano Rivera. It's a cutter, it's a four-seamer and you just got to try to hit it."

During his legendary career with the Yankees, Rivera built his dominance around the cutter. Even though he occasionally mixed in four-seam and two-seam fastballs, hitters consistently struggled to make solid contact against him.

Similarly, Chimaev's greatest weapon in the Octagon is his relentless wrestling. Despite endless hours of tape available for opponents to study, none have been able to consistently stop his takedowns, making him just as inevitable in MMA as Rivera was on the mound.

Khamzat Chimaev's opponent threw the first pitch at Wrigley Field

Khamzat Chimaev's recent middleweight title fight against Dricus du Plessis was held on Aug. 16 at United Center in Chicago. While Chimaev trained at the Santo Performance Studio in California, du Plessis found time to explore Chicago.

The then-UFC middleweight champion threw the ceremonial first pitch at the Cincinnati Reds vs. Chicago Cubs game on Aug. 4 at Wrigley Field. The South African fighter's hilarious interaction with the Cubs' mascot, Clark, had gone viral on social media at the time.

The 31-year-old later talked about his experience at Wrigley Field during his interview with Ariel Helwani on Aug. 7.

"It was one of the coolest things I've ever done," du Plessis said (Timestamp: 2:14). "It was really a highlight for me, in terms of things I've done outside of the sport. It was insane."

It was the first live baseball game that du Plessis watched. He felt the experience was incredible and admitted he had become a baseball fan. Moreover, he even promised he would like to watch a game live again after his fight.