"Heart and spirit of a champion" - Fans applaud Regian Eersel's display of sportsmanship and respect with Alexis Nicolas

Regian Eersel and Alexis Nicolas may have clashed on three different occasions for the ONE lightweight kickboxing world championship, but their fierce rivalry has never overshadowed the deep respect they share for one another.

That mutual admiration was on full display as they made their way back to the dugout of the iconic Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, after a grueling five-round trilogy bout in the co-main event of ONE Fight Night 30 last Friday, April 4.

A heartfelt moment captured on video by ONE Championship showed Eersel consoling an emotional Nicolas, who had just lost a razor-thin majority decision in his bid to recapture the divisional crown.

Check out the clip posted by the promotion on Instagram below:

In an exclusive interview with ONE, Eersel shared the words he offered to Nicolas during their backstage exchange:

"It's his second loss against me. He started crying. So I said listen, 'This is a setback, you know? This is part of life. We are fighters. You have to overcome setbacks and come back harder, you know?'"

'The Immortal' added:

"So I know he feels the pain, but you know, I said, 'Chin up. You're a man. It's a life lession, this.' And I said also, you know, "After this, we are done. You are welcome to train with me or maybe I can come visit you in Paris. So, you know, we can learn from each other.'"

This gesture from Eersel wasn't left unnoticed by fans:

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Regian Eersel returns home empty-handed

Regian Eersel walked away with a bittersweet victory at ONE Fight Night 30. While he secured hard-fought win over Alexis Nicolas in their rubber match, the Surinamese-Dutch striker was barred from taking home the ONE lightweight kickboxing world title.

Prior to the encounter, Eersel had been stripped of the belt for flunking his hydration test during the official weigh-in window, rendering him ineligible to keep it regardless of the outcome.

Nevertheless, Eersel remains the leading contender to compete for the vacant throne should ONE Championship decide to have it up for grabs in the coming months.