"The damage was already done" - Regian Eersel rues adjusting late to Alexis Nicolas' crippling calf kicks
Regian Eersel is looking to make the correct adjustments ahead of his return at ONE Fight Night 25.
'The Immortal' achieved an incredible winning streak under the ONE Championship banner. Part of the reason for it was his ability to adapt mid-fight to his opponents' offense, which allowed him to overcome different styles.
This wasn't the case in his first meeting with Alexis Nicolas at ONE Fight Night 21, however.
The French striker was able to start the fight incredibly well, which left Eersel chasing the contest in the later stages. And after losing the ONE lightweight kickboxing world championship, he's out to get it back in the main event on Oct, 4.
A big part of his defeat to Nicolas was the leg kicks that his opponent invested early in which paid off for him. Taking this weapon away from him much earlier in the fight is one of the former champion's keys to victory this time around:
"Yeah, I was thinking, like, I need to do something about the calf kicks, but I started blocking too late and the damage was already done, so I think that was the problem of the fight for me."
Regian Eersel is a master of controlling the fight
One of the best attributes that Regian Eersel brings to the table is his ability to control the pace of a fight. This was something that didn't click for him until it was too late the last time that he stepped inside the ring to face Nicolas.
His pressure led to a second-round knockdown that ended up deciding the fight on the scorecards at the end of five rounds.
A high-level competitor like Eersel won't make the same mistakes twice, so the defending champion will need to be ready for the adjustments that he's going to make heading into the rematch.
ONE Fight Night 25 will air live in US primetime free of charge for Prime Video subscribers in North America.