“I had a little bit of ring rust” - Regian Eersel says Sityodtong Amsterdam helped him reacclimate to Muay Thai

Regian Eersel became part of a very short and elite list of ONE Championship fighters to capture world titles in two different sports, holding them simultaneously. Already the ONE lightweight kickboxing world champion, ‘The Immortal’ became the promotion’s first lightweight Muay Thai world champion, narrowly defeating Muay Thai specialist Sinsamut Klinmee in the ONE on Prime Video 3 co-main event.

It was a highly entertaining affair that saw both fighters shine, but it was Eersel who came out on top, wrapping double gold around his waist when it was all said and done. It was an especially impressive feat for a fighter who had been out of Muay Thai competition for quite some time.

Following his historic win, Regian Eersel spoke to the media at the ONE on Prime Video 3 post-fight press conference. There, he discussed the important role his gym Sityodtong Amsterdam played in keeping his Muay Thai skills sharp while dominating the world of kickboxing under the ONE Championship banner:

“Well, you know, my gym is Sityodtong Amsterdam and everybody knows that Sityodtong is from a Thai gym in Thailand and we're focusing on both sports, kickboxing and Muay Thai. And if you know me, before I signed with ONE Championship, I was already a Muay Thai champion. So it's not new to me. So for me, it's like, I wouldn't say easy to adapt, but I had a little bit of ring rust, but it was okay. I really enjoyed it.”

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Could Regian Eersel become a three-sport champion?

As just the fourth two-sport world champion in ONE Champion history, Regian Eersel has already etched his name in ONE history.

However, that may be far from the end for ‘The Immortal’ when it comes to making history. At just 29 years old, Eersel is already entering legendary status in kickboxing and Muay Thai, but with plenty of years left, a transition to mixed martial arts is certainly on the cards:

“Maybe [I’d switch to MMA]. Never say never. I don’t know what the future will bring, but I’m open. I’m only 29 years old, so I still have about 10 years to go!”

Should Regian Eersel make the move to MMA, he would follow in the footsteps of another former two-sport world champion, Stamp Fairtex. The fan-favorite Stamp captured both the atomweight kickboxing and Muay Thai world titles before making her move to MMA and winning the ONE Women’s Atomweight World Grand Prix in 2021.

Stamp fell short of becoming a three-sport champion at ONE X, losing to reigning atomweight queen Angela Lee, but as the current No.1-ranked contender, a rematch between the two could very well be on the docket for 2023.