ONE Championship announces Regian Eersel and Arian Sadikovic match at ONE: Reloaded

Regian Eersel, the ONE lightweight kickboxing world champion, will defend his crown against Arian Sadikovic at ONE: Reloaded on April 8.

ONE Championship shared the news on its Instagram page on Tuesday. It was the first confirmed bout for the card that immediately follows the promotion’s 10-year anniversary show, ONE: X, on March 26.

In February, Marcus ‘Buchecha’ Almeida also teased his appearance on the show, but there is no official confirmation yet as to who he will face or if he will indeed be on the show. The world title tilt between Eersel and Sadikovic and a potential return to the Circle of ‘Buchecha’ look to be solid pieces to build a card around to follow up a huge event like ONE: X.

Sadikovic is looking to carry over his success from Mix Fight Championship and Glory Kickboxing to the global stage of ONE Championship. In December 2021’s ONE: Winter Warriors II, the Germany-based Bosnian impressed in his promotional debut by defeating former world title challenger Mustapha Haida to earn his place opposite Eersel.

Meanwhile, this will be the fourth world title defense for Eersel as he looks to extend his undefeated streak in the promotion.

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Regian Eersel’s path to the top

Regian Eersel competed around the world before finding a home in ONE Championship in 2018.

The 29-year-old was riding an incredible 11-bout win streak prior to his debut in ONE Championship. He showed that he was as good as advertised by winning his first two bouts in the promotion to earn a shot at the inaugural ONE lightweight kickboxing world title in May 2019’s ONE: Enter the Dragon.

Standing in his way was the legendary Nieky Holzken, who also had two brilliant performances in the Circle. After an intense five-round battle, it was Eersel who came out on top with a unanimous decision win.

With their bout reaching the scorecards, Holzken believed a rematch was in order and Regian Eersel graciously obliged. Five months later, they were on the battlefield again for ONE: Dawn of Valor. Eersel reinforced his claim to the crown by once again getting the nod from all three judges in the fight.

In 2021, Eersel admirably defended the world title against Mustapha Haida and Islam Murtazaev. He is currently on an incredible 18-bout win streak that dates back to May 2016. Defeating another challenger in Sadikovic will certainly help ‘The Immortal’ leave a legacy that endures the test of time.