Undefeated French sensation Alexis “Barboza” Nicolas is hungry to erase any doubt that he’s the best lightweight kickboxer on the planet today.
The 26-year-old is now in the final preparations for his main event clash against Regian “The Immortal” Eersel at ONE Fight Night 25 on Prime Video, where Nicolas will defend his ONE Lightweight Kickboxing World Title for the first time.
That five-round showdown is slated to air live in U.S. primetime on October 4 from Bangkok’s Lumpinee Stadium, and for “Barboza,” it will be his chance to pick up a second straight win over Eersel.
At ONE Fight Night 21 last April, Nicolas shocked the world when he scored a hard-fought decision win over the Surinamese star, ending Eersel’s years-long winning streak and capturing the lightweight kickboxing crown.
Looking back on that career-defining performance, Nicolas is happy to be the proud new owner of the prestigious golden belt, but he is targeting a more emphatic ending in the rematch.
He told onefc.com:
“I felt good, like 12 years of work, it took a long time, but I showed the world who I am. But, I wasn’t happy because I wanted to win by KO. So it was a good win, but I want more.”
The newly minted titleholder admits that after two fights and two decision wins in ONE, some fans might be disappointed in his style.
Nicolas maintains that against a long-reigning and decorated World Champion like Eersel, finding the knockout isn’t so easy. Still, with some adjustments to his game plan and a desire to prove himself as a true knockout artist, “Barboza” is confident he will find the finish at ONE Fight Night 25:
“Eersel is too strong to fight like I would fight in the street. I have to use my IQ. But for the next fight, I’m going to show I’m a very powerful fighter – and I can do everything. So, a lot of crazy punches, crazy, crazy footwork. But I will score a KO in the next fight for sure.”
Going into their first fight, few fans and pundits predicted Nicolas to emerge victorious. After all, Eersel was a two-sport ONE World Champion, unbeaten in his previous 22 bouts, and widely recognized as a pound-for-pound great.
But it was the Frenchman, with his precise counter-striking, crafty footwork, and stunning power who made “The Immortal” look human.
Now, after sharing the ring with Eersel for 15 high-paced minutes, Nicolas is sure he’ll once again prove his doubters wrong:
“Eersel was an example for me and now I’m very confident in the fight. Now I know who I am. I know what I can do and I know how I feel when I fight him. He felt my power, he felt how fast I am, how I punch – now we know.
“And I just want to have a crazy rematch. It will be a big, big war and everybody will know who I am. I think everybody thinks that Eersel will win, you know, same as the first fight. A lot of people think it was luck, that I was lucky in that fight, but no, no luck – only work and strategy.”
Nicolas Happy To Give Eersel A Rematch
Alexis Nicolas has no problem with giving Regian Eersel an immediate rematch.
He admits that he walked away with a razor-thin decision in their first encounter, so a second fight is plenty justified:
“That fight was very close, so I know ONE Championship wants the rematch. You have to have this rematch because that fight was very close, so I was ready for this.”
While some fighters might be desperate to hold onto the belt at all costs, that’s certainly not the case with Nicolas.
Although he’s undefeated and now comfortably sitting atop the kickboxing world, he’s happy to risk it all and once again throw himself into the fire against one of the planet’s most feared strikers.
Ultimately, he’s confident that his training and preparations will carry him to another victory at ONE Fight Night 25:
“I’ve never lost. But it doesn’t matter if I lose. If I lose, that’s life. I want to go to war, and that’s why I don’t care about the rematch. I have to fight and it will happen.
“If I win, it’s good. If I lose, it’s 1-1, and we have to do another rematch. But I will win this fight because I trust in myself. I know the game plan will be different. Eersel will be in the best shape ever. But it’s the same for me, and it will be a crazy fight.”
