Watch: Regian Eersel vs. Nieky Holzken flashback ahead of Eersel vs. Sadikovic

Regian Eersel faced Nieky Holzken in 2019 for the inaugural ONE lightweight kickboxing world title. Eersel won the five-round battle via unanimous decision.

ONE Championship recently uploaded the full fight to its YouTube channel:

Watch the full fight replay below:

The first time Regian Eersel and Nieky Holzken fought was in 2019 at ONE: Enter the Dragon. The two kickboxers exchanged punches, knees and kicks from distance.

Former GLORY world champion Holzken was looking to turn back the clock and win gold in the promotion. However, the Suriname-Dutch fighter showed more grit and toughness, apart from greater skill and precision. Eersel was in control for most of the fight, landing better kicks and punches, and mixing attacks on the legs, body and head against the Dutch-born Holzken.

The taller Eersel scored an impressive knockdown, landing a hard knee against Holzken's head. In the last round, knowing he was behind on the scorecards, 'The Natural' pushed and tried to knock Eersel out. However, it was too little too late.

The two would fight again in late 2019 with Regian Eersel taking another decision victory. Holzken is still looking for ONE gold. During an interview with Overtime Heroics in 2020, the Dutch legend spoke about his desire for the ONE title:

"I stay healthy, treat my body in good condition, and train hard... I want to have some savings, and the ONE Championship belt." h/t: Overtime Heroics

---

What's next for Regian Eersel and Nieky Holzken?

After facing Eersel in their rematch, Holzken picked up two wins and one loss. Most recently, he lost via knockout to Thai fighter Sinsamut Klinmee. 'The Natural' wants to work his way back to another title shot, but first he wants to avenge the knockout loss he suffered at ONE X.

Holzken has also called out YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul on Twitter.

Meanwhile, Regian Eersel has spent most of his recent career winning or defending belts. He won and defended the Lion Fights title in three bouts. He then jumped to ONE Championship, where he won and defended the title on three occasions. He is currently on an 18-fight win streak and will be looking to add to the tally as well as secure his fourth defense on April 22.

At ONE Championship: Eersel vs. Sadikovic, the champion will put his title on the line against Arian Sadikovic of Germany. 'Game Over' has had experience in ONE Championship and GLORY kickboxing.

In an interview with ONE Championship in December last year, Regian Eersel spoke about building his legacy:

“I think I'm building a nice legacy. I'm undefeated for, I think in my head, five or six years now. 18 fights in total - win streak. So, I think I'm building my legacy very good.”