"You've gotta be a dog, man" - Sean Strickland's coach's plan for Dricus du Plessis rematch echoes brutal fan criticism of 'Tarzan's' fighting style

Former UFC champion Sean Strickland's coach Eric Nicksick has shed light on the gameplan that 'Tarzan's team will be focusing on ahead of his rematch against Dricus du Plessis at UFC 312. Nicksick recently did an interview with James Lynch for Inside Fighting where he discussed the possible changes that they would be looking to make in their training camp.

Over time, Strickland has faced criticism from fans for his conservative approach in fights and for relying heavily on his jab in an attempt to win the contest. His coach addressed the criticism and admitted that 'Tarzan' needed to take a more aggressive approach in order to emerge victorious in the rematch.

"You know, dude, Sean, you gotta be a dog, man. You really have to take the fight to this guy. Just kind of sitting back and jabbing your way through the fight... a lot of judges lose sight of that jab, although it's effective and it's scoring. We need to find some other things that are going to help that scoring criteria look better on our part and that's part of our gameplan."

Check out Eric Nicksick's comments below (6:40):

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When will Dricus du Plessis vs. Sean Strickland take place?

Dricus du Plessis and Sean Strickland will go toe-to-toe in a middleweight title clash at UFC 312. The showdown will headline the card which will take place on Feb. 9 at the Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney, Australia.

The bout will be a rematch as their first encounter took place in January 2024. The two middleweights headlined UFC 297 in a title clash, which was an exciting back-and-forth affair where both individuals had moments of success.

The contest lasted all 25 minutes and ended with a split decision victory for du Plessis. The three judges scored the bout 47-48, 48-47 and 48-47 in favor of the South African.