Alexis Nicolas shows no fear ahead of world title bout at ONE Fight Night 21: “I’m a workhorse”

Alexis Nicolas finds himself on the brink of a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity in his professional career.

The French phenom challenges two-sport king Regian Eersel for the ONE Lightweight Kickboxing World Championship in the main event of ONE Fight Night 21 on Prime Video. This U.S. primetime event airs live from the historic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, on April 5.

While this juncture may seem daunting to many athletes, “Barboza” approaches it with a calm demeanor.

Despite the magnitude of the moment, he revealed that nerves are not getting the best of him.

“I’m confident when I get in the ring because I’m a workhorse. I’m not afraid to lose. It’s all about my performance. I’m afraid of not performing. Even if I do perform and I lose, I’m okay with it,” he said.

His confidence stems from the hard work he has put in to reach this point. The unbeaten kickboxer first turned heads when he dominated the European scene with a 23-bout winning streak.

The 25-year-old then carried this over to the global stage when he made his ONE Championship debut last January. There, he scored a clear-cut decision victory over Magomed Madomedov to earn a shot at Eersel’s kickboxing gold.

However, Nicolas is under no illusions about the challenge ahead.

Eersel is undefeated in his last 22 fights dating back to 2016. Moreover, he holds both the lightweight Muay Thai and kickboxing belts, establishing himself as one of the world’s top pound-for-pound strikers.

For Nicolas, the upcoming clash represents more than just a chance to become a ONE World Champion. It’s a field day to solidify his place among the elite.

“I have a huge amount of respect for Regian Eersel. He’s one of the best fighters of this generation. I have a lot of respect for the athlete outside of the ring, but once we’re in the ring, we’ll let the best man win. It’s going to be a war between two lions,” Nicolas stated.

Alexis Nicolas feels incomparable with Regian Eersel’s past foes

Regian Eersel may have bested a myriad of top-tier foes in the world’s largest martial arts organization. But Alexis Nicolas sees himself as a different breed.

“I think Eersel has fought against a lot of good fighters but nobody with my style. For me, that will be the difference. He’s fought fighters that punch harder than me, are faster than me, but not like me. I think that will be the difference,” Nicolas said.

“I know he has good knees, good punches, but I fight against fighters who fight like this. Not as good as him but fight like him.”