Regian Eersel shares how ONE Championship’s smaller gloves in Muay Thai can be a double-edged sword

ONE lightweight kickboxing world champion Regian Eersel knows that fighting in the smaller four-ounce gloves gives him a distinct advantage, but it also exposes him to different threats.

Eersel will be using those gauntlets for the first time when he takes on Sinsamut Klinmee for the inaugural ONE lightweight Muay Thai world title at ONE on Prime Video 3 this Friday at Axiata Arena in Kuala Lumpur.

In an interview with ONE Championship, Eersel said fighting in the Muay Thai gloves instead of his usual kickboxing gloves will provide him with greater mobility during the match. Yet, he’s still wary of any offshoot movements that may occur during the bout.

The Surinamese fighter competed exclusively in kickboxing during his ONE Championship tenure. However, his match against Sinsamut will be his Muay Thai debut in the organization.

Regian Eersel said:

“Both feelings are there because you can really hurt somebody. But it's still uncomfortable in some situations. Because normally when your hands are in kickboxing gloves, your fingers are not in the way and are not all the way curved. But now you do certain movements like you want to stretch your arm or grab his arm, and you can, by accident, poke somebody in the eye or in the mouth or in the nose, you know, you name it.”

He added:

“So yeah, in some situations it is uncomfortable. But in other situations, you can really hurt somebody. And also your opponent can hurt you, so you must be very sharp.”

Though he’ll be competing in Muay Thai for the first time in a while, Eersel has nonetheless proven that he’s among the best kickboxers of his generation.

‘The Immortal’ is a perfect 7-0 in ONE Championship and he’s held the ONE lightweight kickboxing world title since May 2019 when he defeated Nieky Holzken at ONE: Enter the Dragon. He’s since defended the gold four times against Holzken, Mustapha Haida, Islam Murtazaev, and Arian Sadikovic.

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Christian Lee backs Regian Eersel at ONE on Prime Video 3

Regian Eersel found himself a massive fan ahead of his world title match against Sinsamut Klinmee in the Malaysian capital. Reigning ONE lightweight world champion Christian Lee is backing up Eersel in his quest for a second world title in ONE Championship.

Lee, a powerful striker himself, recently spoke with ONE Championship and it was in that interview that the lightweight king revealed that he’s picking Eersel as his choice over Sinsamut:

“I think Regian Eersel will win the fight and [get the] title. They’re both good strikers, but Regian Eersel will use his championship experience to win over the decision.”