This past April, ONE lightweight Muay Thai world champion Regian Eersel had his 22-fight winning streak brought to a sudden end by French powerhouse Alexis Nicolas. He lost the lightweight kickboxing crown as a result, but he’s coming to reclaim it this weekend.
The Surinamese superstar will meet Nicolas in an immediate rematch in the main event of ONE Fight Night 25 this Saturday, October 5 at Bangkok, Thailand’s Lumpinee Stadium.
Eersel’s jaw-dropping run included 11 wins in ONE Championship and saw him crowned as a two-sport king in the promotion.
Having that come to an end was a difficult reality to face for “The Immortal.” But he’s given the recovery process the time it deserves, and he’s now ready to come storming back.
“I had to have some time off, you know, to be in a quiet place to look at the fight, to think and to look at what my mistakes are,” Eersel reflected.
“I was eight years undefeated. I knew this day would come. But, you know, I prepared myself also for this day and the day has come. It’s not like the world is going to end or something like that, you know, it’s just a loss.”
Eersel’s four-year lightweight kickboxing reign saw him defeat the likes of Nieky Holzken, Mustapha Haida and Arian Sadikovic by unanimous decision. He lost to Nicolas by the same result at ONE Fight Night 21, which hasn’t sat well with him since.
The 31-year-old striking superstar has played the tape through many times, and he believes the wrong man is wearing the divisional crown. And at ONE Fight Night 25 this weekend, he wants to emphatically prove it.
“I asked for an immediate rematch because I rewatched the fight with my team and we came to a conclusion that we have to do it again and you cannot win against a champion like that by only one point difference,” Eersel explained.
“I think I did enough to win this match, yes. But I was not happy about my performance. I still believe I’m the best in the world in this division.”
