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Top ONE lightweight kickboxing contender Alexis Nicolas is confident that reigning two-sport world champion Regian Eersel hasn't seen an opponent like him during his tenure in the promotion.
Nicolas will be challenging Eersel for his ONE lightweight kickboxing world title on April 5 as the headliner of ONE Fight Night 21, which goes down inside the iconic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.
Before they throw hands and legs inside the ring, 'Barboza' caught up with ONE Championship for an interview and claimed that he is a different opponent compared to the previous ones that 'The Immortal' defeated.
The Mahmoudi Gym representative stated:
"He's fought fighters that punch harder than me, are faster than me, but not like me. I think that will be the difference."
The 25-year-old French striker introduced himself to the global audience when he went toe-to-toe with Magomed Magomedov during his promotional debut in January 2024 at ONE Friday Fights 47 and secured a unanimous decision win over him.
This win and performance have punched him a date with Eersel for the coveted 26-pound golden belt. Alexis Nicolas wants to seize this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to take home the championship belt with him back home.
Alexis Nicolas always sticks with fundamentals when fighting inside the ring
Alexis Nicolas rose to stardom by sticking to textbook techniques whenever he stepped in to fight. A prime example of this is the recent video that the world's largest martial arts organization posted on Instagram, where Nicolas was seen practicing a variety of striking techniques on the pad with his coach.
But these strikes were not only confined to training and practice because he was able to pull them off during his fight with Magomedov, which was key in securing the nod from the judges.
ONE Fight Night 21 is available live and for free for all Prime Video subscribers in North America. Check your local listing for more details.
