"I didn't know a lot about his upbringing" - Coach gets emotional about Sean Strickland's breakdown on Theo Von's podcast

UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland recently opened up about his traumatic past on Theo Von's podcast.

Strickland detailed the anxiety-inducing conflicts between his parents and how he was pushed to the brink of refusing to believe in God. The emotional interview gained much traction on social media, with a host of colleagues and fans offering 'Tarzan' support.

Strickland's coach, Eric Nicksick, weighed in on Strickland and all the issues he spoke about in an interview with Ariel Helwani. Nicksick mentioned that his primary goal in welcoming Strickland to his gym was to provide him with the right environment to succeed:

“I mean, it’s your brother. He’s safe with us. As a coach, Ariel, I feel like my job is to peel back some layers to understand who and what they are. And what they need to hear, and what they need to be successful. I’ve known Sean for a long time... I didn’t know a lot about his upbringing but I knew the type of individual that Sean was. And I think for me, the whole goal with him coming to Xtreme Couture was provide him with a home. Give him an atmosphere that can make him successful."

Nicksick also stated that the problem was in how Strickland came off to people, whereas his heart and intentions were in the right place:

"All the while, you can change him in spurts. You have to understand. My uncle was a coach... His approach was very just in your face and dismissive but his heart was in the right place. But he wanted to get the best out of you. And I saw that with Sean. He really does care about his teammates. He does really care about the outcome of your fight. It’s the delivery that wasn’t great.”

Check out his full comments below:

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Sean Strickland tears into reporter for asking him a question about his past LGBTQ comments

Sean Strickland does not hold back when it comes to speaking his mind.

At the UFC 297 media day ahead of his first title defense against Dricus du Plessis, Strickland struck back at a reporter bringing up a post of his from 2021.

Check out Sean Strickland's post below:

Strickland refused to entertain the question and instead questioned the reporter's own morals and personal inclinations. He went on to blast the state of the Canadian government in an expletive-filled rant:

“You’re a weak f*****g man, dude. You’re part of the f*****g problem. You elected Justin Trudeau. You’re just f*****g pathetic and the fact that you have no f*****g backbone as he shut down your f*****g country and seize back accounts? You ask me some stupid s**t like that? Go f**k yourself. Move the f**k on, you f*****g coward.”

Check out Sean Strickland's comments below: