How Defeat to Alexis Nicolas Revived Regian Eersel’s Career
ONE Kickboxing and Muay Thai world champion Regian Eersel says his defeat to Alexis Nicolas in April 2024 helped him regain his passion.
Eersel defends his ONE Lightweight Kickboxing world title against Alexis Nicolas at ONE Fight Night 30: Kryklia vs Knowles later this week.
The 32-year-old Surinamese suffered his first loss in eight years in a world title matchup against the Frenchman last year – a loss that has had a surprisingly good effect on his career.
Eersel says he needed the defeat to serve as a wake-up call after becoming accustomed to picking up wins against top-class opponents for many years.
“I was undefeated for eight years. And yet, honestly, I lost the fire because it became normal. You know, you have a fight, you win, you have another fight. So, it becomes normal,” Eersel said.
“And I think by losing to Alexis, I regained the fire because, yeah, I lost. It’s part of the job, of course. But for me, it was years that I didn’t lose a fight. So, for me, it was good to have a loss,” he added.
Six months after that defeat, Eersel clinched a unanimous decision win after dominating Nicolas to reclaim his kickboxing belt.
“I was very happy to get my belt back and get revenge. I proved to myself, to my team, to all the fans, that I’m still the World Champion,” Eersel said.
ONE Fight Night 30 kicks off at 3:00 AM Mecca this Saturday, April 5. The show will be broadcast live via beIN SPORTS.
