Regian Eersel says he had to learn how to wield the double-edged sword that is 4-ounce gloves

At ONE on Prime Video 3, an inaugural ONE lightweight Muay Thai champion was crowned. Regian Eersel defeated Sinsamut Klinmee to add a second gold strap to his collection.

Already the ONE lightweight kickboxing world champion, ‘The Immortal’ hadn’t competed under the Muay Thai ruleset for four years. However, he had continued to train in both disciplines.

The contest itself came right down to the wire. With both men taking two rounds going into the final three minutes, Eersel did just enough to edge the contest and win a very close split decision.

After fighting very strategically in the opening rounds, Regian Eersel was asked in his post-fight interview what the hardest adaptation or obstacle was for him in fighting under a different ruleset. He responded:

“The hardest thing was, I think the four-ounce gloves. You can't really defend with them and the punches can do a lot of damage and that's the thing.”

The kickboxing champion had clearly adapted his gameplan to adapt to the smaller gloves. Whilst both men have become known for their finishing abilities, the fight was very tense and strategic, which forced Klinmee to up his output in the third and fourth rounds.

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ONE on Prime Video 3: Regian Eersel edges out Sinsamut Klinmee to win inaugural ONE lightweight Muay Thai world title

Regian Eersel became a multi-sport world champion at ONE on Prime Video 3 with a split decision win against Sinsamut Klinmee.

By adding the ONE lightweight Muay Thai world championship to sit alongside his lightweight kickboxing world title, Eersel maintained his perfect record in ONE Championship.

After a back and forth contest between the two, Eersel edged the final round to sway the judges in his favor and leave the Axiata Arena in Kuala Lumpur as champion.

During his post-fight interview with Mitch Chilson, Regian Eersel said:

“First of all I wanna thank my team, without them, Sityodtong Amsterdam, I wouldn’t be here. Second, I wanna thank ONE Championship, Kuala Lumpur I love you guys! Thank you I really enjoyed my time here. Mr. Chatri [Sityodtong], thank you also for the opportunity and I’m gonna enjoy this.”

After a very strategic and cautious opening to the fight saw Eersel take the first two rounds, Sinsamut Klinmee began to up his output and this change of gameplan switched the momentum of the fight.

With the fight hanging in the balance, Eersel’s championship experience shone through as he won the fifth and final round, which was enough to earn him a split decision.