Regian Eersel
O
NE lightweight kickboxing world champion Regian Eersel may have been focusing primarily on kickboxing over the last few years, but he’s eager to get back to his muay Thai roots when he takes on Sinsamut Klinmee for the inaugural ONE Lightweight Muay Thai World Title at ONE Fight Night 3: Lineker vs. Andrade.
The two warriors will square off in the co-main event of the action-packed spectacle on Saturday at the Axiata Arena in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – and Eersel plans to make the most of his chance to earn a second belt.
“I feel like I am writing history if I also win the Muay Thai World Title. It will be so important for my [home] country Suriname, for the people, and for my team. This is history-making, and if I am the first one to make this happen, then this is for the history books,” he said.
“I haven’t fought muay Thai for years. So now I am making the transition from kickboxing to MMA. Because now, I am training with small gloves, doing elbows and clinching. That will be good for me. It keeps me sharp.”
“The Immortal” began his fighting career at the famous Sityodtong Gym in Amsterdam at a young age. The Muay Thai and kickboxing training center has produced many world-class athletes over the years, and Eersel is among the very best of them.
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The Dutch-Surinamese powerhouse has amassed a professional record of 58-4, including a perfect 6-0 slate in ONE, and of his 25 career knockouts, nine have come in muay Thai. So the 29-year-old striker knows how to get the job done when fighting in “the art of eight limbs”.
Sinsamut, however, will be a sturdy challenger for Eersel as he seeks two-sport glory. The Thai dynamo has won both his fights in the Circle via second-round knockouts, and he comes from Thailand's famous Klinmee fighting family, who are known for their muay Thai abilities and impressive ringcraft.
But “The Immortal” is ready for whatever is thrown at him, and he believes his opponent will be surprised when they meet in the Circle.
“I think he's going to bring a good fight. He's fighting for a title. That's life-changing for him. But [it’s] also life-changing for me, so I think we'll see the best Sinsamut inside of the cage. And I think he will fight as he always does, fighting on the counter,” Eersel said.
“I don’t think he’s going to expect [much] from me because I have been fighting kickboxing. But when I see the opportunity, I'm definitely going to give him the elbow. I think we both know we are not going to see the fifth round.”
Catch the lead card of ONE Fight Night 3: Lineker vs. Andrade on Saturday, Oct. 22, on NETVERSE, Vidio.com, Kaskus TV and MAXstream at 7 a.m. Western Indonesian Time. The main card will follow on NETVERSE, Vidio.com, Kaskus TV and MAXstream at 9 a.m. Also, NET TV will air a same-day delay at 10:30 p.m.
This article was published in collaboration with ONE Championship.