Alexis Nicolas came into ONE Fight Night 21 earlier this year with the confidence that he was going to shock the world.
The French striker was considered to be a big underdog before he challenged for the ONE lightweight kickboxing world championship. But on his biggest stage to date, Nicolas showed that there is far more to his game than powerful strikes.
He fought smart against Regian Eersel and emerged victorious after going five rounds with the champion.
When reflecting on the fight, the defending kingpin spoke about how his mentality combined with his preparation put him in the right position to win the fight.
Rather than feeling the pressure of the moment, he was ready to deliver his best performance to date, as he discussed in a recent interview with ONE Championship:
"When I fought him for the first time, what I felt, you know, for the first fight I had a big preparation and I was ready. My game plan was perfect. So I was focused, I was sure, I understood I could beat him. I was trusted in myself, my team, and my training camp, so focused. I was very confident."
Alexis Nicolas knew that he would have to do it again
Alexis Nicolas knew that even if he got his hand raised in his first encounter with Regian Eersel, he would need to beat 'The Immortal' twice.
Eersel was so dominant in his title reign that a rematch was always going to be on the cards between them after what happened at ONE Fight Night 21.
They meet again in the main event of ONE Fight Night 25 on Oct. 4, where Nicolas will look to leave Lumpinee Stadium with the gold once again.
If he was confident of beating Eersel heading into the first fight, you can be sure that the defending champion is coming into this fight with the right mentality.
ONE Fight Night 25 will air live in US primetime free of charge for Prime Video subscribers in North America.