“I got my baby back” - Regian Eersel over the moon after reclaiming kickboxing gold in Alexis Nicolas redo at ONE Fight Night 25
Regian Eersel is glad to have the ONE lightweight kickboxing world championship back where it belongs.
In April, 'The Immortal' saw his eight-year unbeaten streak snapped by French newcomer Alexis Nicolas at ONE Fight Night 21 on Prime Video. Six months later, the two warriors would return to the legendary Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok to run it back on martial arts' biggest global stage.
The rematch did not disappoint as both fighters delivered an entertaining five-round war that ultimately saw Eersel reclaim the kickboxing crown and once again become a two-sport ONE world champion.
Speaking with Nick Atkin immediately following his victory in Thailand, the Surinamese sensation was thrilled to have his "baby" back around his waist.
"It feels amazing, I got my baby back."
With the win, Regian Eersel is now once again the holder of the ONE lightweight kickboxing and Muay Thai world titles.
As for what comes next, that remains to be seen, but Eersel is hoping to defend his Muay Thai title after producing back-to-back instant classics in eight-ounce gloves.
Regian Eersel was fueled by messages he received from Alexis Nicolas' fans
In the months since his loss to Nicolas, Eersel revealed that he had been receiving a slew of messages from some of the Frenchman's biggest fans—but instead of instilling doubt, all those DMs did was add fuel to the fire burning within Eersel ahead of their epic rematch.
“Of course, people were doubting me, especially the French fans. I got a lot of messages saying that I was going to sleep," he told ONE. "But that only added fuel to the fire. It only motivated me, and you saw the result."
Landing a decisive decision over Nicolas, 'The Immortal' was happy with his performance overall and was thrilled to avenge the only loss on his ONE Championship record.
“I’m very satisfied [that I avenged my only loss in ONE]. It’s one of the best things. I’m very happy.”
If you missed any of the action, ONE Championship fans in the United States and Canada can watch the ONE Fight Night 25 replay on demand via Amazon Prime Video.