“It became normal” - Two-sport king Regian Eersel admits his eight-year unbeaten streak took the joy out of winning
Reigning ONE lightweight kickboxing and Muay Thai world champion Regian Eersel admits he's once been a victim of his own success.
The once underrated gem took the entire combat sports scene on notice for his unbelievable 22-fight winning streak in eight years. This included a pristine 10-0 start in the home of martial arts against some of the most elite strikers in the world.
However, not tasting defeat for such a long period of time admittedly wasn't all sunshine and rainbows for Eersel.
According to the Surinamese sensation, that wild run somewhat dampened the feeling of victory for him since it became a constant and seemingly guaranteed outcome.
'The Immortal' shared in a ONE Championship interview:
“I was undefeated for eight years. And yet, honestly, I lost the fire because it became normal. You know, you have a fight, you win, you have another fight. So, it becomes normal.”
All good things do come to an end. In a shocking turn of events at ONE Fight Night 21 last year, Eersel got dethroned by Alexis Nicolas in a five-round shocker, effectively ending his impeccable streak.
Instead of sulking about it, the 32-year-old used it as motivation to dominate 'Barboza' in the rematch at ONE Fight Night 25.
That satisfying victory gave Regian Eersel his 26 pounds of gold back and the incredible feeling of euphoria that he's long been missing.
Regian Eersel explains how he got revenge over Alexis Nicolas
Regian Eersel simply needed a bulletproof mindset to get even with his tormentor Alexis Nicolas. The Sityodtong Amsterdam affiliate shared on the Guillotine Podcast:
"Second fight everything went very well. I had a good preparation. Mentally, I was there. The focus was 100 percent."
These archrivals will run it back for the third and perhaps final time in the penultimate match of ONE Fight Night 30: Kryklia vs. Knowles on Prime Video this coming Friday at Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.
The full event will air live in US primetime free for Prime Video subscribers in the United States and Canada