Sean Strickland’s head coach reacts to champ’s social media beef with Manel Kape after ‘not a big deal’ incident with manager

Eric Nicksick, head coach to UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland and flyweight contender Manel Kape, has downplayed reports of tension between himself and Kape's manager Ali Abdelaziz following Kape's stoppage victory over Kyoji Horiguchi at UFC Vegas 119.

Nicksick told MMA Fighting that the disagreement was a routine occurrence in the sport and has already been resolved. "Honestly, like we're brothers, man," Nicksick said. "We've known each other for a long time. We've had arguments before in the past." He explained that Abdelaziz was upset over matters unrelated to Nicksick's actions, leading both men to become defensive—a situation Nicksick viewed as unremarkable until it spread across social media. "It's like getting in an argument with your wife, but you're doing it in your house, and like the rest of the world doesn't know about it, and then you're like, all right, we're good the next day," Nicksick added.

The incident appeared to create friction between Strickland and his gym-mate Kape, with both fighters exchanging words online. Nicksick acknowledged his responsibility to maintain harmony among his fighters and took personal accountability for not mediating the situation sooner. However, he noted that Strickland had been away in Florida for two weeks and that the situation has since stabilized. Abdelaziz subsequently called Nicksick to apologize, and the two went to dinner to smooth things over. "We have so many guys that we share and we've got Manel right on the cusp of a title fight," Nicksick explained, emphasizing the importance of maintaining unity.