“Maybe in the future” - Regian Eersel shuts down any plans for immediate trilogy match against newfound rival Alexis Nicolas

Regian Eersel isn't keen on heading into an immediate trilogy match against Alexis Nicolas over the ONE lightweight kickboxing world title.

The Surinamese superstar reclaimed his lost throne and returned to champ-champ status when he overcame Nicolas via unanimous decision in the main event of ONE Fight Night 25 this weekend at the iconic Lumpinee Stadium.

While some fans may expect an immediate trilogy between the two, Eersel said a third fight against his newfound rival shouldn't be the next order of business.

Eersel said in his post-fight interviews that he's open to running it back against Nicolas, as long as it won't be his next match in ONE Championship:

"No, not right now that he didn't win. Maybe in the future".

Eersel, who also holds the ONE lightweight Muay Thai world title, lost his kickboxing strap to Nicolas in their first meeting at ONE Fight Night 21 in April. His time without the kickboxing strap didn't last long as he found himself challenging for it almost six months later.

Eersel was a man on a mission in his world title rematch against 'Barboza' and employed a methodical yet destructive fighting style in Bangkok.

'The Immortal' looked like his usual dominant self and clocked Nicolas with multiple combinations throughout the match.

Nicolas had his moments, but Eersel was far too crafty during the match to take the dominant unanimous decision win.

Fans in the United States and Canada can rewatch the entire ONE Fight Night 25 for free via Prime Video.

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Regian Eersel admits struggling to come to terms with losing kickboxing throne to Alexis Nicolas in first meeting

Regian Eersel doesn't lose often. The defeat he suffered against Alexis Nicolas at ONE Fight Night 21 was the first time he didn't get his hand raised since 2016.

What made the loss sting further was that Eersel had to relinquish the ONE lightweight kickboxing strap, a belt he's held since its inception in 2019.

In an interview with ONE Championship, before he reclaimed the lightweight kickboxing throne, Eersel recalled how he struggled with the loss and how he recovered from such a dreadful episode in his career:

"We lost [for the first time] in eight years, you know. But you know, you have to accept it. You know, you cannot go too long with the negative energy, you know, and yeah, I'm not that kind of person to go through the negative energy for a long time, you know."