"Not the end of my story" - Alexis Nicolas vows to rise better than before following trilogy defeat to Regian Eersel

Following his hard-fought loss to Regian Eersel in their trilogy bout at ONE Fight Night 30 last Friday, April 4, Alexis Nicolas has begun the process of moving forward.

As the only eligible fighter to take home the ONE lightweight kickboxing world championship after Eersel failed to pass his hydration test during the official weigh-in window, the Frenchman went through the wringer with his Surinamese-Dutch rival in an attempt to recapture the crown that was once his.

However, Nicolas ultimately fell short via a majority decision on the scorecards. Despite the setback, 'Barboza' remains upbeat, recently assuring fans in an Instagram post that this is far from the end of his journey.

He wrote:

"This is the end of the trilogy, but not the end of my story."

Nicolas went on the make a promise that he would bounce back much better than before:

"We keep our heads held high. The People's Champ never dies. My flame doesn't fade — like a phoenix, I will rise again."

Nicolas left no stone unturned in his pursuit of victory, but Eersel consistently stayed one step ahead for the majority of the encounter. A major turning point came late in the second round when Nicolas was floored by a sharp left hook — Eersel's only knockdown in the bout.

Despite the hiccup, Nicolas regained composure and rhythm in the third frame. Unfortunately for him, Eersel responded with key adjustments in the final two stanzas, eventually swaying two of the three judges at ringside to secure the win.

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Alexis Nicolas laments missed opportunity to bring home gold

Alexis Nicolas stepped inside the ring at ONE Fight Night 30 intending to become a two-time ONE lightweight kickboxing world champion, but fate had other plans.

With Regian Eersel emerging victorious but deemed ineligible to claim the belt, the division's throne now sits unoccupied — a twist that left Nicolas reflecting on the missed opportunity in a separate Instagram post:

"It's not the expected result, neither he or I left with the belt."