"This is fuel for my fire" - Regian Eersel says French fans' trash talk motivated him against Alexis Nicolas

Regian Eersel endured a lot of unpleasantries from Alexis Nicolas' fans on social media prior to their highly-awaited rematch at ONE Fight Night 25 last weekend.

The trash talk intensified when he made his walk to the Lumpinee Stadium ring, as he was greeted by a sea of Frenchmen who wished to see him come up short once again.

Needless to say, 'The Immortal' got the last laugh.

The Surinamese superstar regained his lightweight kickboxing crown after outclassing 'Barboza' for five full rounds.

In his post-event interview with The Bangkok Post's Nick Atkin, the now two-sport world champion shared how satisfying it was to prove his doubters wrong:

"Yes, I like the energy. People were amazing. Also the French fans - they motivated me a lot. When I was coming up, somebody shouted. 'You’re gonna sleep!' So this is fuel for my fire. So I really like that, keep them coming, guys."

Regian Eersel is living proof that it's unwise to poke the bear. The Sityodtong Amsterdam product certainly wasn't short on motivation after seeing his eight-year unbeaten streak come to an end last April at the hands of Nicolas.

Watch Regian Eersel's interview in its entirety:

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Regian Eersel thrilled to be the first fighter to solve Alexis Nicolas' puzzle

Alexis Nicolas went unbeaten in his first 24 career fights, including that monumental upset against Eersel in their first meeting.

The French savate specialist has indeed been an enigma and one of the trickiest opponents 'The Immortal' has ever fought.

Still, Eersel did his due diligence and found a hole in Nicolas' armor - an achievement the Surinamese star is extremely proud of. He added:

"Alexis is a challenging opponent because of his fighting style. He's very quick. His fighting [style] is unique, but you saw I found the key to beat him."

The replay of ONE Fight Night 25 is available on demand for Prime Video subscribers in the United States and Canada.