3 Explosive Fights From ONE Lightweight Kickboxing World Champion Regian Eersel
ONE Lightweight Kickboxing World Champion Regian Eersel has taken complete command of the division with six straight victories since joining the organization.
Next, the 29-year-old Dutch-Surinamese striker will get another chance to showcase his ruthless aggression when he makes the fourth defense of his belt against Arian Sadikovic in the main event of ONE: Eersel vs. Sadikovic on Friday, 22 April.
Ahead of “The Immortal’s” appearance at the Singapore Indoor Stadium, we look back at three of his most impressive performance in ONE Championship.
#1 Eersel Annihilates Njokuani To Earn World Title Shot
Following a dominant debut win over Brad Riddell, Eersel earned a shot at the inaugural ONE Lightweight Kickboxing World Title with a KO of Anthony “The Assassin’ Njokuani at ONE: CALL TO GREATNESS in February 2019.
The Amsterdam native pressed forward in his usual fashion, trying to hunt Njokuani down with punches, kicks, and knees.
“The Assassin” circled away to make things difficult and sought to land with counters, but nothing could hold off Eersel, who scored with a hard flurry of punches that had his foe on wobbly legs.
Determined to continue his onslaught, “The Immortal” charged at Njokuani when the second frame began.
Backing his man up against the ropes, Eersel clocked the American with a short right hand that buckled his knees, before finishing him off with a knee to the body and some swift punches.
The Sityodtong Amsterdam gym representative knew his relentless pressure had paid off when Njokuani couldn’t get back up, and the emphatic finish set him up for a shot at ONE Super Series gold.
#2 Eersel Wins Inaugural Gold Against Holzken
Dutch superstar Nieky Holzken had solidified his position as the other challenger for the inaugural ONE Lightweight Kickboxing World Title, and he battled “The Immortal” for the gold at ONE: ENTER THE DRAGON in May 2019.
“The Natural” was the more widely known athlete back then, but Eersel was unfazed when they went toe-to-toe. He calmly absorbed explosive punches and kicks from Holzken while using his jab to assert his range.
And as the bout wore on, “The Immortal’s” game plan started to become evident. He kept walking his man down with punches and then added long knees into the mix, jarring his foe with hard connections to the head and body.
The most telling shot of all came when Eersel clattered Holzken with a right knee to the head in round four, putting him on the canvas and scoring big on the judges’ scorecards.
With a clear-cut lead, many fighters might have tapered things down and cruised to a victory in round five – but not Eersel.
He kept his foot on the gas despite a valiant effort from “The Natural” and ultimately earned a unanimous decision win to claim the most coveted World Title in kickboxing.
#3 Eersel Dominates Haida In World Title Defense
The second of Eersel’s three ONE World Title defenses came against Italian hard-hitter Mustapha Haida at ONE: FISTS OF FURY III in March 2021.
It was an outstanding performance for the Dutch-Surinamese star, who completely dominated a dangerous rival across all five rounds.
Haida has fierce KO power in his hands, but “The Immortal” never let him into the contest. Instead, he forced his opponent backward with punches and knees, battering him against the Circle Wall and dismantling him piece by piece.
Haida showed brief glimpses of his concussive punching ability, but it was never enough to bother Eersel. “The Immortal” fired everything at “Dynamite” in the championship rounds, with only the Italian’s toughness keeping him on his feet.
When the final bell sounded, it was evident that Eersel had romped away with the victory and retained his golden belt once again.
