‘You Have To Call Me Champ-Champ Now’ – Regian Eersel Thrilled To Cement Legacy With Muay Thai Gold
On October 21, Regian Eersel became just the third athlete ever to win ONE World Titles in two sports.
The longtime lightweight kickboxing king achieved the feat when he added the inaugural ONE Lightweight Muay Thai World Championship to his resume by defeating Sinsamut Klinmee in the co-main event of ONE on Prime Video 3: Lineker vs. Andrade.
Following that monumental victory, “The Immortal” was ecstatic to join former two-sport ONE World Champions Sam-A Gaiyanghadao and Stamp Fairtex in a rare club.
Meanwhile, he improved his perfect record in the organization to 8-0 at the Axiata Arena In Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
The Dutch-Surinamese superstar said afterward:
“Two belts. That was one of my life goals, and I did it. You have to call me champ-champ now.”
It wasn’t an easy battle for Eersel, who hadn’t competed in Muay Thai for four years while focusing solely on kickboxing in ONE to date.
However, the 29-year-old overcame the tricky switch of codes and found his rhythm to derail the surging Thai knockout artist via split decision.
He now sits atop two divisions, and with 20 straight wins overall, has cemented his place as the best lightweight striker on the planet.
“The Immortal” said:
“My gym is Sityodtong Amsterdam, and everybody knows that Sityodtong is from a Thai gym in Thailand. We’re focused on both sports – kickboxing and Muay Thai. Before I signed with ONE Championship, I was already a Muay Thai Champion. So it’s not new to me.
“I wouldn’t say it was easy to adapt, I had a little bit of ring rust, but it was okay. I really enjoyed it.
“The hardest thing was the [smaller] 4-ounce gloves. You can’t really defend with them, and the punches can do a lot of damage, and that’s the thing.”
Eersel Ready For Any Challenger: ‘Just Give Me A Fight’
Regian Eersel earned the nod from two of three judges after five hard rounds against Thai striker Sinsamut Klinmee, but he believes the split-decision verdict was actually flattering to his opponent.
Although the hard-hitting Sinsamut kept himself in the fight throughout, Eersel felt like he always had the upper hand.
He explained:
“In my opinion, it wasn’t a close fight. If you saw the fight, I think the first two rounds, I was really testing him. And I think from the third, fourth, and fifth rounds, I put the pressure on – and you saw his face at the end of the fight.
“It’s a little bit annoying [that it was a split decision], but it’s okay. It’s Muay Thai and a fight against a Thai fighter. I got the win, that’s the most important thing, and I think I showed the world what I’m capable of.”
Now holding both the ONE Lightweight Kickboxing and Muay Thai World Titles, “The Immortal” will have a massive target on his back from the chasing pack.
Still, the two-sport king isn’t one to pick and choose who he faces.
He’ll happily throw down with any challenger that ONE Championship matchmakers deem worthy and can’t wait to prove that he still belongs on the throne.
Eersel said:
“I have no name [of who I’d like to fight next]. ONE Championship [can] give me a name and I’ll be there. I’m not really the kind of fighter that will challenge some people. Just give me a fight and I will be there. No name, just let me fight.”
