Regian Eersel suggests Alexis Nicolas was too timid in first world title encounter: “He was running away”

Regian Eersel thinks Alexis Nicolas was a little too timid in their first meeting.

This Friday, October 4, 'The Immortal' returns to the legendary Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, ready to reclaim the ONE lightweight kickboxing world title he surrendered to Nicolas six months back at ONE Fight Night 21.

This time, Nicolas enters their main event as the defending world champion, but if he hopes to leave the Mecca of Muay Thai with his title intact, he'll have to stand his ground and prove that he's got a killer instinct—otherwise, he could buckle under the pressure that Eersel will no doubt try to put him under.

"No, it didn't surprise me because he was running away. He knew I was hurt, you know, I was in pain. But I think I surprised him by still walking forward. I put the pressure on him and I showed him why they called me the Immortal. So, yeah."

Eersel will look to keep that pressure coming in their rematch while also mitigating the damage from Nicolas' devastating leg kicks and counterstriking that ultimately won him the lightweight world title the first time around.

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Regian Eersel recalls getting rocked by Alexis Nicolas in their first meeting

Continuing to look back on their first meeting, Regian Eersel couldn't deny that 'Barboza' had clocked him good—particularly in the second round when he got caught with a well-timed right hook that dropped him.

"In the second round, I got knocked down. I was pressuring him a lot. He caught me with the right hook. The moment I got hit, I was going to my ankle. I feel down. "

He added:

"I thought, 'I'll stand up quickly and we will continue to fight,' but the referee started counting. So I was like, 'Yeah, I'm not going to protest, I got hit,' but it was not like I was dizzy or something like that."

Will 'The Immortal' make the necessary adjustments and even the series against Alexis Nicolas this Friday night, or will 'Barboza' prove once and for all that he's the better fighter than the former two-sport titleholder?

ONE Fight Night 25 will air live via Amazon Prime Video in the United States and Canada on Friday, October 4 in U.S. primetime.