“This is only the beginning” - Alexis Nicolas basks in the glory of his stunning world title win over Regian Eersel
24 fights into his combat sports career, things have only just begun for newly minted ONE lightweight kickboxing world champion Alexis Nicolas.
Making his sophomore appearance with the promotion at ONE Fight Night 21 on Prime Video, 'Barboza' delivered a show-stealing performance against Regian Eersel, who walked into his latest title defense riding a 22-fight win streak.
For five rounds, Nicolas went toe-to-toe with 'The Immortal', ultimately earning a unanimous decision victory with a second-round knockdown of Eersel.
'Barboza' celebrated his victory on Instagram, letting his supporters — and his doubters — know that this is only the beginning:
"First Frenchman in history to win the @onechampionship belt. It's historic what we experienced last night. Thank you to everyone who believed in me and even more to those who doubted me!
He continued, writing:
"This fight taught me a lot, big respect to the legend that is my opponent! I can't wait to get back to work and show you that this is only the beginning... But before that, I'm going to enjoy a well-deserved rest, see you soon."
Regian Eersel hopes for a rematch with Alexis Nicolas
Despite seeing his eight-year undefeated streak come to an end, Regian Eersel is in high spirits and is already looking ahead to a potential rematch with Alexis Nicolas:
"If I didn't get the eight-count, I would have won the fight," Eersel wrote on his Instagram story. "So, I hope ONE Championship gives me a rematch. But yeah. It is what it is. You win some, you lose some, you know? I will be back even better.
With the loss, 'The Immortal' dropped to 10-1 under the ONE Championship banner, 61-5 overall. He also still holds the ONE lightweight Muay Thai world championship.
If you missed any of the action, you can watch the ONE Fight Night 21 replay on demand via Amazon Prime Video in North America.