Regian Eersel may be the reigning ONE lightweight kickboxing and Muay Thai world champion, but there was one performance that showcased he is far from a one-dimensional striker.
This occured when he put his kickboxing gold on the line against German-Bosnian challenger Arian Sadikovic in the main event of ONE 156, which took place at the Singapore Indoor Stadium in April 2022.
Check out the highlights of that matchup below:
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It was no easy feat for Eersel, who battled through intense pressure to defeat Sadikovic and successfully defend his crown for the fourth time.
Eersel relied on his superior reach and athleticism early on, punishing Sadikovic with a barrage of flying knee strikes. However, the challenger refused to go down without a fight in the second round, landing a knee strike of his own that dropped the defending world champion to the mat.
Despite the knockdown, Eersel regrouped and dominated the next two rounds, banking on a relentless stream of strikes from the outside to maintain control.
The bout remained up for grabs heading into the final frame, but Eersel's work rate spelled the difference as he outpaced Sadikovic in the closing moments to walk away with a hard-earned unanimous decision.
Instagram users could not help but marvel at Eersel's resilience in the face of adversity in the comment section of the video posted above:

Regian Eersel defends kickboxing gold again at ONE Fight Night 30
Regian Eersel will attend to his responsibility as the divisional kingpin when he reports for duty in the co-main event of ONE Fight Night 30.
There, he is set have his hands on French rival Alexis Nicolas in a trilogy bout, happening live in U.S. primetime at the iconic Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, on Friday, April 4.
Fans in the United States and Canada will get to catch this duel live and for free on Prime Video.