“You have to take that risk” - Regian Eersel details his calculated game plan against Sinsamut Klinmee

Regian Eersel made history at ONE on Prime Video 3 by becoming the inaugural ONE lightweight Muay Thai world champion whilst simultaneously holding the crown in the kickboxing division.

Eersel’s world title fight with Sinsamut Klinmee was the strategic showdown that many thought it would be, resulting in a split-decision win for ‘The Immortal’. Both men adopted a patient gameplan for the opening rounds, which saw Klinmee putting on pressure early before Eersel switched up his game plan and upped his output.

In his post-fight interview, Regian Eersel was asked about the risk of starting slowly against high-level strikers. He responded:

“It's already a risk to step inside the Circle, especially against Klinmee with small gloves. As I said before, it's a challenge for me. When I have a fight, I go with the game plan. You have to go with game plan A, game plan B, and game plan C.”

He added:

“Game plan A worked, and I'm just looking for holes in the first and second rounds, put on the pace from the third, fourth, and fifth rounds, and it worked. There's always a risk to get hit, but you have to take that risk, otherwise, you don't get a performance like this.”

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Watch: Highlights from the action-packed Regian Eersel vs. Sinsamut Klinmee fight for the Muay Thai belt

At ONE on Prime Video 3, ONE lightweight kickboxing world champion Regian Eersel left Kuala Lumpur with one more belt than he came in with. Defeating Sinsamut Klinmee via split-decision, Eersel became a two-sport world champion by winning the inaugural ONE lightweight Muay Thai championship.

Whilst both men have become known for their finishing abilities, the fight produced a strategic and razor-close striking contest where ‘The Immortal’ got the edge after winning the final round. Both men showed their opponent a massive amount of respect early on in the fight. This forced Klinmee to adapt his game plan and take the fight to Eersel.

Approaching the fifth and final round, Regian Eersel’s championship experience paid dividends for him in the dying moments of the fight. Eersel continued to push and landed combinations that swayed the fight right as the clock ran down.

Whilst Klinmee tried to fire back, he was hit with more shots that only helped Eersel’s case, though some fans still believed that he won the fight overall.

Watch Eersel’s fifth-round rally below: