"Everybody loses in life" - Regian Eersel reflects on seeing his 22-fight winning streak come to an end
ONE lightweight Muay Thai world champion Regian Eersel is not the type to dwell on things he has no control over.
'The Immortal' was initially shocked after hearing the verdict of his last fight against Alexis Nicolas at ONE Fight Night 21 last April. The scales of victory tipped in 'Barboza's' way, which ended his dominant reign as lightweight kickboxing world champion.
Moreover, it was the first time he tasted defeat in 22 straight fights over the last eight years.
It was indeed a tough pill to swallow for the Surinamese striker, who has exuded greatness in the world's largest martial arts organization.
Still, Regian Eersel will walk with his head up high and with full confidence when he runs it back with Barboza this coming Friday in the curtain closer of ONE Fight Night 25. He told ONE:
"Everybody loses in life and this is what it is. You have to accept it and go on, you know, that's life. And I did that immediately after the fight and I was like, okay, then I saw the scoring cards of the judges. I see only one point difference. I'm like, man, how could that have happened?"
Regian Eersel says Alexis Nicolas' well-placed calf kicks led to his demise
While it was the knockdown in round two that cost Regian Eersel big time against Nicolas, there's another problematic area that caused his winning streak to end.
'The Immortal' was chopped down by stifling calf kicks by the French star, rendering him unable to move like he normally does and disrupting his rhythm.
“The first round he got me good with the calf kicks. That was a surprise for me," Eersel told ONE. "But I was feeling okay. When I felt this power, I was like, ‘I can handle this.’ The only thing was the calf kicks because I never felt that pain before."
ONE Fight Night 25 will air live in US primetime on Oct. 4 from 'The Mecca of Muay Thai', Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand. This event is free of charge for Prime Video subscribers in North America