‘I’m Not Afraid To Lose’ – Alexis Nicolas Feels Ready To Shock Regian Eersel At ONE Fight Night 21

French phenom Alexis “Barboza” Nicolas is gearing up for the biggest opportunity of his professional career.

On April 5 in U.S. primetime, the undefeated striker will challenge two-sport king Regian “The Immortal” Eersel for the ONE Lightweight Kickboxing World Title in the main event of ONE Fight Night 21 on Prime Video at Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.

After dominating the elite European kickboxing scene – racking up 23 consecutive wins without a single defeat – Nicolas made his highly anticipated ONE debut in January, scoring an electrifying decision victory over Magomed Madomedov at ONE Friday Fights 47.

That impressive result earned him a crack at Eersel’s lightweight kickboxing belt – a huge step up in competition.

But while many athletes would be intimidated by the magnitude of this moment, Nicolas told onefc.com that he’s not feeling many nerves:

“I’m confident when I get in the ring because I’m a workhorse. I’m not afraid to lose. It’s all about my performance. I’m afraid of not performing. Even if I do perform and I lose, I’m OK with it.”

“Barboza” has done plenty to prove himself worthy of this World Title shot, but he’ll undoubtedly face the stiffest test of his career when he squares off with Eersel.

Undefeated in his last 22 fights dating back to 2016, the Surinamese superstar holds the lightweight Muay Thai and kickboxing belts and has firmly cemented himself as one of the planet’s top pound-for-pound strikers.

Nicolas is well aware of his foe’s many accolades but says he won’t back down once the opening bell rings:

“I have a huge amount of respect for Regian Eersel. He’s one of the best fighters of this generation. I have a lot of respect for the athlete outside of the ring, but once we’re in the ring, we’ll let the best man win. It’s going to be a war between two lions.”

With his background in the French striking art of savate, the challenger believes he’ll present Eersel with a unique type of opponent.

Nicolas acknowledges that the defending World Champion has defeated no shortage of elite rivals in ONE, but he says none of them are quite like himself:

“I think Eersel has fought against a lot of good fighters but nobody with my style. For me, that will be the difference. He’s fought fighters that punch harder than me, are faster than me, but not like me. I think that will be the difference.

“I know he has good knees, good punches, but I fight against fighters who fight like this. Not as good as him but fight like him.”

Nicolas Says Defeating Eersel ‘Would Be A Dream Come True’

If he beats Regian Eersel at ONE Fight Night 21, Alexis Nicolas will instantly become a global martial arts superstar and the world’s top lightweight kickboxer.

Coming from a humble background and growing up in one of Paris’ toughest neighborhoods, he understands just how monumental that victory would be for himself and his career.

What’s more, he’s supremely motivated to bring the ONE Lightweight Kickboxing World Title back to his nation and family:

“I’m not much of a dreamer, but it would be a dream come true. It would make me number one worldwide and would legitimize my status.

“It’s really hard to live off sports in France, so this would change my life entirely. It’s a massive opportunity in my life, and I really want to make not only my mother proud but also the country.”