"It's going to be a hard fight" - Regian Eersel refuses to call his shots in lightweight war vs Alexis Nicolas
Due to his fantastic back-to-back knockout stoppage wins from the past two fights, reigning ONE lightweight kickboxing world champion and ONE lightweight Muay Thai world champion Regian Eersel is expected to score another knockout in his upcoming fight with Alexis Nicolas.
Regian Eersel is set to defend his ONE lightweight kickboxing world title against Nicolas in the main event of ONE Fight Night 21 on April 5 in front of the packed Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.
But 'The Immortal' downplayed the idea that he'd easily cruise past his 25-year-old opposition and add another highlight-reel knockout. He explained this during his interview with CountFilms TV's YouTube channel by saying:
"I hope so [I can finish him], but I cannot look in the future. I'm never saying I'm going to finish the guy or something. I know it's going to be a hard fight but let's hope I will finish it yeah."
The 31-year-old Surinamese superstar currently rides a 10-fight win streak, and his most recent victory came against Dmitry Menshikov, whom he obliterated in June 2023 at ONE Fight Night 11 in just 46 seconds.
Regian Eersel wants to be the golden standard of world champions in ONE Championship
In a separate interview, Regian Eersel said he wants to set the bar high for future champions and be the example they could replicate once they reach the pinnacle of success. He plans to do this by becoming an active world champion and defending his championships as much as possible.
The Sityodtong Amsterdam representative also mentioned that building trust with his coaches and cornermen is one of the biggest recipes for success. He gives credit to his own and states that he wouldn't have reached the peak of his triumph without their help.
ONE Fight Night 21 will air live in U.S. primetime, free of charge for existing Prime Video subscribers in North America.