“I regained the fire” - Regian Eersel says shocking loss to Alexis Nicolas awakened the beast in him

ONE lightweight kickboxing world champion Regian Eersel said his shock loss to French fighter Alexis Nicolas early last year rekindled the fire in him to be always at his best.

'The Immortal' lost the kickboxing championship belt he long held to Nicolas in their title match at ONE Fight Night 21 in April 2024, edged by 'Barboza' by unanimous decision. It was his first unsuccessful defense of the gold he won in 2019 across five title matches.

Eersel, however, reclaimed the lightweight kickboxing belt in their rematch back in October, winning by decision.

Speaking to ONE Championship in an interview, Regian Eersel shared what the loss to Nicolas in their first match did in recalibrating his mindset as a fighter.

The 32-year-old Surinamese-Dutch champion said:

“And I think by losing to Alexis, I regained the fire because, yeah, I lost. It’s part of the job, of course. But for me, it was years that I didn’t lose a fight. So, for me, it was good to have a loss.”

Prior to losing to Nicolas, Eersel won 10 straight in ONE Championship, and 22 in a row.

They now settle the top dog status in the lightweight kickboxing division when they meet for the third time at ONE Fight Night 30: Kryklia vs. Knowles on Prime Video on April 4 at the Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.

ONE Fight Night 30 is available for free to North American fans with active Amazon Prime Video subscription.

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Regian Eersel proud to represent Surinamese warrior spirit on global stage

Regian Eersel is proud of his Surinamese roots, which he has put into good use in becoming a two-sport world champion in ONE Championship. In particular, he gives credit to the warrior spirit he has embraced to become the fighter that he is now.

He touched on it in an interview with Guillotine Podcast, in line with his scheduled trilogy title match with Alexis Nicolas this week at ONE Fight Night 30.

Eersel said:

"I think it’s the culture, the food, the education, you know. We like to do sports, and we’re athletic people, you know. We eat food from the forest, from the jungle, so we are strong people. I think our background is strong."

Regian Eersel began his professional journey in 2013 and has compiled an overall record of 62 wins and 5 losses, with 27 of his victories coming by way of knockout.