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Alexis Nicolas hopes to one day lead the charge for ONE Championship's debut in his native France.
After shocking the world in April by defeating former two-sport ONE world champion Regial Eersel to claim the ONE lightweight kickboxing world title, 'Barboza' is set to defend his 26 pounds of gold for the first time when he runs it back with 'The Immortal' at ONE Fight Night 25 on Friday, Oct. 4.
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In the process of snapping Eersel's 22-fight win streak that spanned an incredible eight years, Alexis Nicolas extended his own unbeaten record to 24-0 while also establishing himself as one of the best pound-for-pound kickboxers in the world.
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Speaking with the promotion, 'Barboza' hopes to one day parlay his success into a headlining act in his home country:
“My dream is to bring ONE Championship to France," Nicolas said. "To bring ONE Championship to France, it’s a big dream for me, and if I can put it on my shoulders, I want to.”
Regian Eersel calls Alexis Nicolas his toughest opponent physically
Before Alexis Nicolas can look forward to potentially competing on a ONE Championship card in the Western European country, he'll have to prove to the world that his victory over Regian Eersel in April was not a fluke.
Before suffering the biggest upset of his career, 'The Immortal' was widely considered to be one of the best strikers in the world — regardless of sport.
He'll look to remind the world of that when he once again headlines an event on Amazon Prime Video. But to do that, he'll have to bounce back against one of his most physically challenging opponents yet:
"I wouldn't say toughest because each fight is different. Different opponents, different skills, different pain levels. Because you feel pain in a fight, of course. I think mentally, it was Arian Sadikovic, and physically, it was Alexis because of the calf kicks. I was unstable on my legs. My body was refusing to do the things that I wanted to do."
Will Eersel redeem himself inside the 'Mecca of Muay Thai', or will Alexis Nicolas go two-up on the Surinamese sensation?
ONE Fight Night 25 will air live via Amazon Prime Video in the United States and Canada on Friday, Oct. 4 in U.S. primetime.
