“We can learn from each other” - Regian Eersel invites rival Alexis Nicolas to the Netherlands to exchange ideas after trilogy bout

With their rivalry coming to a close, Regian Eersel has chosen to develop his game with his bitter rival, Alexis Nicolas.

Eersel closed his feud with Nicolas with a majority decision win in their lightweight kickboxing tussle at the stacked ONE Fight Night 30 card this past weekend at the iconic Lumpinee Stadium.

Following their trilogy bout, the two rivals caught up with each other in the arena's backstage area, where Eersel consoled his younger rival.

Eersel, 32, even invited his 26-year-old rival to visit and train with him in Amsterdam.

In a backstage interview with ONE Championship, Regian Eersel said:

"I know he feels pain, but I said 'Chin up, you're a man, it's a life lesson.' And I said also, 'After this, we are done. You can welcome to train with me or maybe I can come visit you in Paris so we can learn from each other.'"

Eersel and Nicolas fought over the ONE lightweight kickboxing world title twice in 2024, with the belt changing hands on both occasions.

Nicolas drew first blood in the rivalry when he scored a stunning unanimous decision win over Eersel and claimed the lightweight kickboxing throne in the main event of ONE Fight Night 21.

Eersel evened the score in the main event of Fight Night 25 when he beat Nicolas via unanimous decision to reclaim the strap.

Their trilogy, however, came with a caveat after Eersel was stripped of the ONE lightweight kickboxing world title after missing weight and hydration.

Nicolas was the only man eligible to win the gold, but Eersel still fought with the determination and hunger of a world title contender.

Eersel, who also holds the ONE lightweight Muay Thai world title, was a calculated offensive machine as he picked his spots throughout the fight.

A crucial knockdown late in the second round gave Eersel enough momentum to hold Nicolas off the judges' scorecards to earn the majority decision win.

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Regian Eersel glad to see his game plan work to perfection

Regian Eersel couldn't have executed his game plan better in his trilogy fight against Alexis Nicolas.

'The Immortal' was a methodical mastermind in his majority decision win over Nicolas, and he admitted that he was satisfied with how his offense flowed during the fight.

"I hit him with a few kicks also, and punches. The game plan worked, as you saw. He got the eight count in the same round, yeah. It went well," said Eersel in his post-fight interviews.