‘I’m The Undisputed Best Striker On The Planet’ – Regian Eersel On A High After Latest World Title Defense
Last Friday, Regian Eersel cemented himself as a dominant two-sport king with a first-round knockout of Dmitry Menshikov at ONE Fight Night 11 on Prime Video.
The Surinamese star needed just 46 seconds to lock in his 22nd consecutive victory and retain his ONE Lightweight Muay Thai World Title at the iconic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.
Eersel is renowned for the relentless pace he can push for five championship rounds, but he didn’t need it for this lightning-quick win.
And while the showman in him wanted more time to display his skills, he will never begrudge a finish – especially one that leads to a US$50,000 performance bonus.
“The Immortal” explained:
“No, I didn’t expect [to finish him that quickly] at all. I expected the KO but not that fast.
“I was prepared for a five-round battle, and I wanted to show my skills, especially my elbows. But I caught him in the first round.
“So, yeah, I’m a little bit disappointed, but on the other side, I’m also very happy. It was a very quick KO.”
On top of his incredible winning streak, Eersel is now 10-0 in ONE Championship with eight World Title victories across kickboxing and Muay Thai – including six successful defenses.
For a long time, “The Immortal” didn’t think he got the respect he deserved, but he’s now put himself in a position where nobody can deny his status.
Still, he’s not content and remains motivated to continue climbing until he becomes widely considered an all-time great.
The Sityodtong Amsterdam representative said:
“I am the undisputed best striker on the planet right now.
“I have two big reasons [to keep building my legacy]. The first reason is, I want people to remember my name and to make sure that my name goes into the history books as the greatest in my weight class.
“And secondly, I am a father. I have two daughters, and I want to be a very good example for them.”
Regian Eersel Welcomes Any Challenger For His Kickboxing And Muay Thai Belts
As the ONE Lightweight Muay Thai and Kickboxing World Champion, Regian Eersel is the man everybody is chasing.
He’s already fended off plenty of challengers, but he knows there will always be a queue of hungry fighters lined up to try to take his throne.
Still, the laidback striker isn’t fazed. He embraces the chase and believes it makes him perform better when the time comes to shine.
“The Immortal” said:
“For me, it feels great to have a target on my back because I don’t see the pressure. I think a lot of people think that I am under pressure but there’s none. A target on my back means that I’m very focused. And it keeps me sharp when I know people want the belt.
“I don’t think like, ‘Oh, I have the belt so I have to defend it.’ No, I just think in a straight line. The end goal is to win over the opponent, so the belt is on the side. That’s my thought about it.”
Amid his run of dominance, Eersel has gone through a who’s who of top contenders, effectively clearing out both lightweight striking divisions.
But with so much elite talent being drawn to ONE Championship, he knows there will be a worthy opponent lined up for next time.
Former World Title challenger Arian Sadikovic – the only man to drop Eersel in ONE – could be back in the picture after picking up a big win over Nieky Holzken last Friday, although the reigning king will happily square off with anyone that matchmakers put in front of him.
Eersel added:
“I don’t have opponents that I really want to fight. I’m a fighter. If ONE Championship gives me anybody, I’ll fight them. So everybody’s welcome.
“I watched a little bit of [Sadikovic’s] fight. He was doing well, pressuring Nieky. So I think maybe he needs to fight one or two times, get two wins, and then he can fight me again.”
