UFC 331 just dropped one of the biggest upsets in its history when Sean Sharaf, sitting at a 5-2 MMA record and a shaky 1-2 in the UFC, absolutely knocked out Gable Steveson (4-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC) this past Saturday at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. But the craziest part? The legendary Xtreme Couture head honcho Eric Nicksick ended up in Sharaf’s corner literally hours before the fight, completely by accident. It’s wild, dude.
The “What The Hell’s Going On?” Call That Set The Stage
Nicksick found himself cornering Sharaf on almost no notice, and the story of how it all went down is pure chaos. Sharaf was scrambling for help after a massive emergency took out his original corner, UFC heavyweight Serghei Spivac. Spivac’s wife was having a baby! Talk about an urgent situation. Nicksick, who’s known Sean for a while and even cornered him for the short-notice Junior Tafa fight with Sean Strickland, was completely caught off guard. He was in the back, warming up Edmen Shahbazyan, when UFC personnel basically blindsided him, asking what he needed for Sharaf’s corner. Nicksick was straight up like, “What are you talking about? I don’t even know what you’re talking about!” He thought Jason Manly was in Sharaf’s corner.
Turns out, Manly had just texted the UFC, saying he needed Nicksick to jump in. Nicksick was confused why Sharaf hadn’t called him directly, but when he tried, it went straight to voicemail or a disconnected number. Then, he checked his unknown texts and there it was: “Yo coach, if it’s a problem, just say no, but I need you in my corner. Serghei Spivac, his wife is having the baby. So can you just hop in my corner for me?” Nicksick’s response? “Sure, brother. I’m there.” Gotta respect that immediate willingness to step up.
Backseat to MMA History: Nicksick Takes Zero Credit
Despite being the last-minute hero, Nicksick is quick to say he takes zero credit for Sharaf’s monumental moment. He admitted to MMA Junkie Radio he’d only had a brief 20-minute chat with Sharaf in the PI a while back, going over “concept wise vs. Gable.” There was no game plan from Nicksick’s side. He watched a little tape in the back, and the only thing he was even talking about was when Gable went southpaw, telling Sharaf what he was seeing. But even that didn’t matter! Nicksick literally said, “none of that even mattered.”
He was just “backseat to one of the best underdog moments of MMA history.” Nicksick credits Sharaf’s main coach and camp for all the preparation, saying they did an “excellent job.” He just had “the best seat in the house.” This shock knockout wasn’t just big, it was historic, and Sharaf pulled it off with a last-minute assist that truly makes you wonder what’s next for him after such an incredible win. What a story, man.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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