“It was a crazy experience” - Alexis Nicolas says he "learned a lot" in his first world title fight with Regian Eersel
ONE lightweight kickboxing world champion Alexis Nicolas said his title match against Regian Eersel earlier this year was an experience from which he learned a lot. It's something he is taking cue from when they reengage this week.
'Barboza' touched on this in an interview with ONE Championship ahead of his title rematch with 'The Immortal' at ONE Fight Night 25: Nicolas vs. Eersel II on Oct. 4, which will be the headlining contest of the event happening at the Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.
26-year-old Nicolas said:
"I learned a lot. I learned a lot. I think this fight gave me maybe three, four or five years of training more than before. It was a crazy experience. Eersel is very strong. He is my opponent, but I respect him for the fighter that he is and the legend that he is. And it will continue."
He went on to say that he is looking forward to their reengagement at ONE Fight Night 25:
"Let's see who the best fighter is."
In their first meeting in April, Alexis Nicolas came up with a formidable game plan that left the erstwhile-streaking Eersel grappling for ways to match up. While he had his moments, they were not enough to stop the Frenchman from coming away with the unanimous decision win and becoming the new lightweight kickboxing king.
At ONE Fight Night 25, Nicolas is seeking to come out on top anew to further underscore that there is already a new sheriff in the lightweight kickboxing division in him and everybody should take heed.
ONE Fight Night 25: Nicolas vs. Eersel II will air live and for free to North American fans with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription.
Alexis Nicolas brimming with confidence heading into rematch with Regian Eersel
With the lessons and the victory he got from his first title encounter with Regian Eersel, Alexis Nicolas said he is packing a lot of confidence heading into their rematch at ONE Fight Night 25 on Oct. 4 in Thailand.
He made this known in an interview with ONE Championship, highlighting how coming out of his first encounter with Eersel he has become more aware of what he is capable of as a fighter and, hence, more dangerous now, saying:
"Eersel was an example for me and now I'm very confident in the fight. Now I know who I am. I know what I can do and I know how I feel when I fight him. He felt my power, he felt how fast I am, how I punch -- now we know."
Alexis Nicolas has had an impressive start to his ONE Championship journey, winning two straight since making his promotional debut back in January.