“The road is long and full of obstacles” - Alexis Nicolas reflects on his rivalry with Regian Eersel after falling short in their trilogy

Alexis Nicolas is still coming to terms with losing his trilogy showdown with rival Regian Eersel and missing out on reclaiming the ONE lightweight kickboxing world championship.

'Barboza' came up short in his third meeting with 'The Immortal' in the co-main event of ONE Fight Night 30 at Bangkok's Lumpinee Stadium last April 4.

While admittedly pained by the setback, the proud Frenchman took it in stride and vowed to come out of it as a better martial artist.

"This sport is hard, the road is long and full of obstacles," Alexis Nicolas wrote in a lengthy Instagram post.

The former ONE lightweight kickboxing world champion continued:

"These last 3 fights have brought me so much. I can’t wait to get back into training, rebox, learn from my past experiences, and continue to progress. Victory, that I have always been accustomed to, will never taste the same!"

Alexis Nicolas became a global star last year when he snapped Eersel's 22-fight winning streak in one of the biggest upsets in kickboxing history.

Unfortunately, the 26-year-old striker couldn't replicate the feat and dropped their next two meetings.

The Mahmoudi Gym representative once again found success hitting the Surinamese star with low kicks in their third match, but was eventually outclassed for five rounds, losing via unanimous decision.

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Alexis Nicolas vows to keep grinding in the aftermath of ONE Fight Night 30

Alexis Nicolas is currently down, but he'll never be out. There's certainly no shame in losing against one of the best pound-for-pound strikers in the world.

In the same heartfelt Instagram post, 'Barboza' promised to use everything he learned from his rivalry with Regian Eersel as motivation to continue evolving. He wrote:

"This is the end of the trilogy, but not the end of my story. We keep our heads held high. The People's Champ never dies. My flame doesn't fade — like a phoenix, I will rise again."

The full replay of ONE Fight Night 30 is available on demand for Prime Video subscribers in the United States and Canada.