ONE Fight Night 21: Eersel vs. Nicolas took place yesterday evening and featured two kickboxing bouts, the more notable of which has left us with a new champion in the ONE Lightweight division. For the fans who missed the event, a replay is available at either on the ONE Championship YouTube channel or at Watch ONE FC.
ALEXIS NICOLAS VS. REGIAN EERSEL
Alexis Nicolas took a major step up in his career when he overcame fellow prospect Magomed Magomedov in January, which earned him this title shot. What he achieved tonight wasn't just another step forward, but a massive leap, as he snapped the champion's 22-fight win streak, with his last loss happening all the way back in 2016.
Eersel, considered by some as the best or second-best welterweight in the world prior to last night, made his return to the sport of kickboxing following a two-year absence. The two rounds he needed to adjust proved to be detrimental for the champion: Nicolas largely outkicked him in the opening round and knocked Eersel down in the second. Although Eersel was able to win the next three rounds of two of the judge's scorecards, the knockdown proved pivotal, as the ONE Championship ruleset doesn't allow for draws and knockdowns are the highest scoring criteria.
ONE FIGHT NIGHT 21 RESULTS
MAIN CARD
Alexis Nicolas def. Regian Eersel – Lightweight Championship – Unanimous Decision
Tye Ruotolo def. Izaak Michell – Submission at 4:43
Suablack def. Vladimir Kuzmin – Unanimous Decision
Ben Tynan def. Duke Didier – TKO at 2:36 of R1
Denis Puric def. Jacob Smith – Unanimous Decision
Kade Ruotolo def. Francisco Lo – Submission at 4:48
Dedduanglek def. Taiki Naito – Unanimous Decision
Hiroyuki Tetsuka def. Valmir Da Silva – Submission at 3:34 of R2
Songchainoi Kiatsongrit def. Nicolas Leite Silva – Unanimous Decision
Jeremy Pacatiw def. Wang Shuo – Submission at 4:43 of R1
