“Only added fuel to the fire” - Regian Eersel reveals French fans slid into his DMs to tell him he was getting KO’ed by Alexis Nicolas
Regian Eersel received a lot of messages from French fans ahead of his rematch with Alexis Nicolas.
After surrendering the ONE lightweight kickboxing world championship to the Paris native in April, Eersel returned to the legendary Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok determined to reclaim his crown and once again become a two-sport ONE world champion.
'The Immortal' did exactly that, scoring a decisive unanimous decision victory over 'Barboza' to take back the belt in Thailand.
During a post-event interview, Eersel revealed that he received a lot of messages from Nicolas' fans, many of them predicting that he would get slept in the highly anticipated rematch.
As it turns out, those messages taunting Eersel only fueled his desire to come out on top in the ONE Fight Night 25 headliner. Eersel said:
"Yes, of course, especially the French fans. I got a lot of messages [saying] that I was going to sleep. But that only added fuel to the fire. It only motivated me, and you saw the result."
Regian Eersel gives props to Alexis Nicolas following five-round war at ONE Fight Night 25
Following the bout, Regian Eersel had nothing but positive things to say about his opponent, acknowledging that Alexis Nicolas is a world-class striker who has earned his spot on the ONE roster. He added:
"He's at the world level. Here at ONE, we are world-class strikers, so he is really good."
As for what comes next, 'The Immortal' certainly has options.
Aside from reclaiming the ONE lightweight kickboxing crown, Eersel also has the ONE lightweight Muay Thai world title to defend. He could also find himself matched up with 'Barboza' once again for a potential rubber match.
Then there's always the possibility that Eersel could dip his toe into the world of mixed-rules bouts.
What do you think should be next for the Surinamese sensation following his big win inside the Mecca of Muay Thai?
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.