ONE Fight Night 21: Alexis Nicolas says his drive and hunger grew stronger after becoming world champion: "I want to fight more"

Newly crowned ONE lightweight kickboxing world champion 'Barboza' Alexis Nicolas is excited for what the future holds now that he has the coveted ONE Championship gold around his waist.

But most importantly, the undefeated 25-year-old French fighter wants to stay active and establish himself as a true star in the world's largest martial arts organization.

Nicolas lifted the gold from former two-sport king 'The Immortal' Regian Eersel when the two met in the main event of ONE Fight Night 21: Eersel vs. Nicolas on Prime Video last weekend.

The event took place live at the iconic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, on Saturday, April 6th.

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Speaking to Sportskeeda MMA in an exclusive post-fight interview, Nicolas talked about his plans moving forward.

'Barboza' said:

"I'm young. I'm hungry, and I want to go back to training [right away] because I want to fight more. I will rest a little bit, then I'll be ready to fight and defend my belt."

Nicolas' victory over Eersel came as a shock to many, as 'The Immortal' has proven to be one of the most dominant world champions on the ONE roster. 'Barboza' coming in the way he did, absolutely nullifying most of Eersel's attacks, was a complete eye-opener.

Fans in the United States and Canada can catch all the action of ONE Fight Night 21 via-demand replay with Amazon Prime Video.

Alexis Nicolas open to Regian Eersel rematch: "I'll do it again"

Lightweight kickboxing king 'Barboza' Alexis Nicolas has no problem running it back with Regian Eersel, who has openly stated he seeks revenge.

Nicolas told Sportskeeda MMA that he just needs a little rest and recovery, and he'll be good to go again.

'Barboza' said:

"I feel good. I feel [in pain]. Eersel is very strong. They just put ice on my foot. I'm just proud of myself, my gym -- the Mahmoudi Gym -- the camp where I was in Thailand."

"The only pain I have is in the leg, but the [belt] is the prize. If I have to go through it again [to get this], I'll do it again."

About the author

Dan is an MMA writer with 10+ years of overall experience. Before his ongoing tenure at Sportskeeda, Dan got the opportunity to be at the forefront of the sport by contributing to ONE Championship and Fight Game Asia. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology.

Dan’s connection to MMA started during the early days of the UFC and ONE Championship. He previously practiced boxing and ranks Demetrious Johnson, Anderson Silva, Georges St-Pierre, Jon Jones, and Fedor Emelianenko as the top five MMA fighters of all time.

He has covered several events onsite and on the ground for ONE Championship and hopes to continue doing so. He ensures that he churns out accurate articles by citing only legitimate sources and getting firsthand accounts through exclusive interviews whenever required.

Dan feels MMA fighter pay seems like an issue because it often gets compared to what fighters earn in boxing but that MMA will eventually catch up in the future.

His other interests include soccer and video games.

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Edited by C. Nayak