"I never felt that pain before" - Regian Eersel admits Alexis Nicolas' pin-point calf kicks threw him off
ONE lightweight kickboxing world champion Alexis Nicolas relied on his savate background to do the unthinkable and dethrone Regian Eersel last April.
'Barboza' unleashed a whirlwind of crippling calf kicks that completely disrupted 'The Immortal's rhythm for the majority of their five-round war at ONE Fight Night 21.
With Eersel preoccupied with finding a way to stop the lower-body assault, Nicolas was able to let his punch combinations go and tag him several times.
Speaking to ONE Championship ahead of their rematch this coming Friday, the Surinamese star admitted those unorthodox kicks took their toll on him.
“The first round he got me good with the calf kicks. That was a surprise for me. 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."
While Regian Eersel was able to get going in the championship rounds, his comeback bid came in a little too late.
The Sityodtong Amsterdam man suffered a knockdown in round 2 which put him behind on the judges' scorecards and eventually led to the end of his championship reign.
Rewatch Nicolas vs Eersel I, here:
Regian Eersel says disappointing setback lit a fire under him
Seeing his 22-fight winning streak come to an end was mentally and emotionally draining for Regian Eersel.
But after licking his wounds, 'The Immortal' is primed for battle, hungrier than ever to take back what's his at ONE Fight Night 25: Nicolas vs Eersel II on Prime Video.
The lightweight Muay Thai world champion told ONE:
"I've learned from this loss, too. I got my hunger back, you know, after staying on the fight [game] for so many years, you lose a little bit of fire. It sounds a little bit strange, but you still lose a little bit of fire."
ONE Fight Night 25 will air live in US Primetime on Oct. 4 from Bangkok's iconic Lumpinee Stadium. This event is free of charge for Prime Video subscribers in North America.