Regian Eersel discussed how to grow Muay Thai and kickboxing with President of Suriname

When a sports hero meets the president of his nation, it’s always a special moment.

Recently, reigning ONE lightweight Muay Thai and kickboxing world champion ‘The Immortal’ Regian Eersel received the opportunity to shake hands with Chan Santokhi, the President of Suriname, and it was certainly a momentous occasion.

Eersel is a Dutch-Surinamese striker from ONE Championship. He is unbeaten in the promotion and a beacon of inspiration for the youth who want to follow in his footsteps. Recently, he returned home to Suriname, where he is from.

In an interview with South China Morning Post, Eersel revealed that he had discussed plans with the President on how to build up martial arts in Suriname.

‘The Immortal’ said:

“We talked about how my team can help the Surinamese fighters to lift their career up and how we can help the youth to maintain the sport.”

Of course, it goes without saying that no matter how big of a star Eersel is in his fighting career, he was still nervous to meet with Santokhi. He added:

“[I was] a little bit [nervous]. Yeah, of course. When you face the president of the county, yes, of course, a little bit.”

The nerves for Eersel aren’t present in the ring though, and the 30-year-old two-sport double champ will get to prove just how cool he can be in his next fight.

‘The Immortal’ Regian Eersel is set to defend his ONE lightweight Muay Thai world title against dangerous Russian adversary Dmitry Menshikov in the main event of ONE Fight Night 11: Eersel vs. Menshikov on Prime Video.

The event broadcasts live from the iconic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand on Friday, June 9, and will stream absolutely free to fans in the United States and Canada with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription.