“Blocking the calf kicks and put more pressure” - Regian Eersel vows to fix his flaws to regain kickboxing crown from Alexis Nicolas
Surinamese striker Regian Eersel lost the ONE lightweight kickboxing world title to French fighter Alexis Nicolas last month in a contest that he said was lesson-filled. He is now addressing the flaws he found in his game as he angles to regain the crown.
"The Immortal' opened up during an interview with Sportskeeda MMA, where he touched on various things, including what went wrong before and during his title clash against 'Barboza' at ONE Fight Night 21 on April 5 at the Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.
The 31-year-old Sityodtong Amsterdam standout said:
"The main thing is only one thing -- blocking the calf kicks. The other things that I mentioned was during the preparation. I had, like, an injury before, my coach passed out in the plane on the flight when we were going to Bangkok. But I don't want to use that as excuses. But from the fight -- it's just blocking the calf kicks and put more pressure."
Watch the interview below:
Eersel and Nicolas went at it no end in their five-round title clash and each had their runs. The Frenchman inflicted early damage, including landing an overhand right that had the erstwhile champion dropping to the canvas.
Eersel would regain his bearing after and started to connect telling hits of his own.
However, the 25-year-old Nicolas kept the damage from his opponent manageable, thanks to his solid calf kicks that slowed down the Surinamese fighter. In the end, it was the Paris native who was adjudged the winner and new divisional king.
There is no word yet on a possible title rematch between the two in the immediate future but Regian Eersel has been continuously fine-tuning his game and trying to be ready whenever a redo with Nicolas is booked.
Regian Eersel is still a ONE world champion
While he lost the ONE lightweight kickboxing world title, Regian Eersel remains in the roster of world titleholders in ONE Championship, holding the division's Muay Thai gold.
The Surinamese striker has been the lightweight Muay Thai king since October 2022 and has successfully defended it twice.
Eersel's most recent title defense came in June last year against Russian Dmitry Menshikov, who he stopped by knockout just 46 seconds into the contest.
Menshikov has bounced back from the loss, winning three straight matches since, and is looking for another title shot against 'The Immortal'.