Regian Eersel Extends Lightweight Kickboxing Reign With Gritty Win Over Arian Sadikovic
Regian “The Immortal” Eersel is now a five-time ONE Lightweight Kickboxing World Champion who’s riding a 19-bout winning streak – not bad for someone who often feels criticized over his fighting style.
One of those critics was Arian “Game Over” Sadikovic, who fell to Eersel by unanimous decision in the hard-fought main event of ONE 156 on Friday, 22 April, at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.
Sadikovic said he’d bring excitement to the division by finishing “The Immortal,” and while the challenger did score a stunning knockdown in round two, the man behind the mask delivered when it mattered most to retain his World Title belt.
In the opening frame, Sadikovic walked forward and pressed the action with his punches, forcing Eersel onto the back foot.
However, the Dutch-Surinamese superstar looked comfortable there as he stepped in with long knees from the outside to soften up his foe’s body.
The most shocking moment of the battle came in round two when “Game Over” threw a punch combination and then jumped into his own flying knee that careened into Eersel’s chin and flattened him on his back.
The World Champion answered the eight-count, recovered, and survived the round, but no ONE Championship fan had ever seen him in this position. And in the third frame, it looked like Sadikovic would continue to unload and secure a finish.
“The Immortal,” though, smartly fought off the back foot for the next two rounds, stepping in with piercing knees that slowed down the advancing German and his wild but hard punches.
Eersel also turned up his own punch combos, hooking his way through the challenger’s guard like he was slashing an overgrown jungle.
By the end of round four, Sadikovic appeared spent, while the Sityodtong Amsterdam representative looked like he’d carved out a path toward another win.
Then in round five, “The Immortal” reminded everyone why he’s the long-reigning World Champion that everyone fears, applying pressure with a barrage of step-in knees and rib-splintering hooks.
The strong finish earned Eersel the nod from all three Circle-side judges, nudging his career record to 58-4 and further cementing his status as the dominant lightweight kickboxing king.
