“It was no surprise for me” - Regian Eersel commends rival Alexis Nicolas for surviving knockdown scare in their epic trilogy fight

Surinamese-Dutch fighter Regian Eersel had another tough encounter with French rival Alexis Nicolas last week and was not surprised at all.

'The Immortal' won a majority decision over 'Barboza' in their trilogy title match on April 4 at ONE Fight Night 30: Kryklia vs. Knowles on Prime Video at the Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.

Nicolas showed grit in dealing with the attack of Eersel throughout the bout, including surviving a knockdown scare late in the second quarter.

During the in-ring interview session with ONE Championship's Mitch Chilson following his victory, Eersel gave props to Nicolas for the toughness he was already expecting.

The 32-year-old Sityodtong Amsterdam standout said:

"Yeah, he was well prepared, so he stood up before the eight count [was up]. So, it was no surprise for me. But yeah, I know for sure that was a turn in the fight and that way I secured the win."

At ONE Fight Night 30, Regian Eersel encountered early trouble as Nicolas targeted with a lot of success his legs, which turned red from the punishment they took.

He, however, picked things up as the fight wore on, with the knockdown he scored, practically marking the turnaround for him. From there, he was on top of things for much of the time on his way to the majority decision victory. The win took Eersel's head-to-head matchup with Nicolas to 2-1 in his favor.

The full replay of ONE Fight Night 30: Kryklia vs. Knowles is available on demand for Prime Video subscribers in North America.

---

Regian Eersel owns up to losing lightweight kickboxing belt on the scales

Regian Eersel was supposed to defend the ONE lightweight kickboxing world title at ONE Fight Night 30. However, he was forced to give up the belt for failing weight and hydration tests in the official weigh-ins. It left Alexis Nicolas as the lone fighter eligible to bag the title in the event of a victory.

Following his win, Eersel made no excuses for losing the kickboxing gold on the scales, saying it was on him, and it was a tough lesson he would take cue from moving forward.

'The Immortal' in-ring post-fight interview said:

"As people know, I failed the weight and hydration test. I did everything I could, but you know, these things happen in life. It’s a setback. But we overcome that, and that’s a life lesson."

After being stripped of the kickboxing belt, Regian Eersel expressed his intention to claim it back at some point in the future while also defending the lightweight Muay Thai world title he also holds.