Sean Strickland’s head coach Eric Nicksick believes his fighter is just one big win away from crashing the UFC’s planned White House show for a title shot against current middleweight champion Khamzat Chimaev.
Speaking recently about Strickland’s return and the state of the division, Nicksick framed the stakes in simple terms: if Strickland delivers against his next opponent and looks good doing it, a crack at Chimaev on the South Lawn becomes realistic. Speaking to Action Network, he said:
“I do [think there could be a title shot next] because it’s Sean and he moves the needle. And obviously, with Khamzat being the champion now, there’s a backstory, Sean and Khamzat being training partners while Khamzat was in the gym, the back and forth and all that stuff. But stylistically, Sean can give Khamzat a tough fight. So if Sean’s able to go out there and get a good win and get some style points on that win, I certainly think within this division it could put him right back into title contention.”
Sean Strickland vs. Khamzat Chimaev at the White House
That “backstory” runs through Xtreme Couture in Las Vegas, where Chimaev spent time on the mats with Strickland under Nicksick’s watch. The sessions helped fuel later public jabs between the two, including Strickland alternately praising Chimaev as “better than everyone” in the room in earlier footage, then accusing him of being an aggressive gym presence once the Chechen star’s rise accelerated. Nicksick has also previously confirmed that the team turned down a short‑notice title defense against Chimaev at UFC 294, feeling a week’s notice was a bad call for a newly crowned champion.
“Yeah [Sean could be ready for the White House], knowing Sean, if he comes out of this uninjured, he would love to fight on that card, so I can see him turning around pretty quick to do it if he wanted to.”
The White House event, targeted for June 14, 2026, on U.S. president Donald Trump’s 80th birthday, is shaping up as the UFC’s showpiece card of the year, with talk of multiple title fights and interest from names like Conor McGregor and Jon Jones. Chimaev, who holds the middleweight belt after a run that includes wins over Dricus Du Plessis, Robert Whittaker and Kamaru Usman, has already used the occasion to chase super‑fights, calling out Alex Pereira for a cross‑division clash at the Washington, D.C. showcase.
With a strong showing in his comeback bout after time away and surgery, Strickland would tick the competitive box and, as Nicksick put it, “move the needle” enough to make a Chimaev rematch on the White House lawn a live option for the UFC matchmakers.
Strickland returns this Saturday in Houston, headlining UFC Fight Night against surging contender Anthony “Fluffy” Hernandez in a five-round middleweight bout that could sling the winner straight into conversations about Khamzat Chimaev and the White House card.
The former champion fights for the first time in over a year after a rough stretch of title losses, injuries and a Nevada suspension stemming from an in-cage altercation at a regional show, while Hernandez rides an eight-fight winning streak built on pressure grappling, high-volume offense and a recent submission of Roman Dolidze.
Stylistically, it’s a clash between Strickland’s high-pace jab, footwork and takedown defense and Hernandez’s chain wrestling and suffocating top pressu The matchup gives Eric Nicksick’s fighter the chance to back up his coach’s claim that one impressive win, with “style points,” is enough to drag him right back into the middleweight title picture heading toward June’s White House showcase.
