Two belts, two rule sets, one long frame that never seems to stop marching forward. That is the outline of Regian Eersel’s career in ONE Championship, where the Surinamese-Dutch striker built one of the promotion’s most distinctive title runs across kickboxing and Muay Thai.
Known as “The Immortal,” Eersel did not arrive as a ready-made star. His story starts in Paramaribo, continues in Amsterdam, and grows through years of gym work, steady development and a style built on pressure, range and stamina rather than noise.
From Paramaribo to Amsterdam
Regian Braudilio Gudo Eersel was born on December 16, 1992, in Paramaribo, Suriname. When he was still a small child, his family moved to the Netherlands. He has spoken about the contrast between the two places, especially the shock of trading Suriname’s heat for Dutch winters.
That move sits near the start of the fighter’s story, but not the whole explanation for it. As a boy, he also dealt with bullying, and martial arts entered his life partly through the practical idea of learning self-defense. He began with taekwondo at around seven or eight, long before he became known for knees, body kicks and a pace that wears opponents down.
Sport, though, was not limited to striking. Eersel also played rugby and reached Dutch national-team level. For a while, that path looked serious enough to compete with fighting. His parents reportedly stepped in when rugby began to affect his schoolwork, pushing him back toward his studies. It is a useful detail because it shows his career was not a straight line. There were other options, and other demands, before the title belts arrived.
Around his mid-teens, he found the gym that would shape the rest of his combat career: Sityodtong Amsterdam. Under Paul Pengel and Vincent Pengel, he developed the long-range attacking game that later became his trademark. The nickname “The Immortal” also traces back to those gym years. According to team stories repeated in interviews, he earned it because he would stay standing between rounds instead of sitting down.
Learning the trade
Before turning professional, Eersel built experience in amateur competition, with roughly 20 amateur bouts often cited in career summaries. More important than any single amateur result was what that period gave him: rhythm, durability and comfort fighting at a hard pace.
His first pro bout came when he was still a teenager, around 2010. Some records list the broader start of his documented professional run a little later, but by the early 2010s he was clearly on the move as a full-time striker. He fought in promotions including Enfusion and Lion Fight, gradually building a reputation in the Dutch and international scene.
Even then, the outline of the Regian Eersel fighting style was already visible. He fought orthodox, used his height and reach well, and kept opponents working. He was not just tall for the division; he knew how to make that length matter. Kicks came from range, knees arrived when rivals tried to close distance, and his cardio often turned the later rounds into his territory.
The ONE Championship run begins
His ONE Championship debut came on April 20, 2018, against Brad Riddell. Eersel won by unanimous decision, a strong opening result against a credible opponent and an early sign that he could carry his game onto a bigger stage.
The real breakthrough followed the next year. On May 17, 2019, he met Nieky Holzken for the inaugural ONE Lightweight Kickboxing World Championship. Holzken was the more established name, but Eersel controlled enough of the fight to take a unanimous decision and leave with the belt.
That win changed his place in the sport. Winning a title can announce a fighter; repeating the result tends to confirm him. Eersel did exactly that when he beat Holzken again by unanimous decision on October 13, 2019, in their rematch, making the first defense of his crown.
From there, the reign kept growing. He outpointed Mustapha Haida on March 19, 2021, then beat Islam Murtazaev by unanimous decision on December 3, 2021. Another defense followed against Arian Sadikovic on April 22, 2022, again on the scorecards.
By that point, his title run had become one of the defining kickboxing stories in ONE. He was not collecting quick, chaotic wins. He was building a body of work: rounds, defenses, consistency, and a style opponents struggled to solve over time.
A second belt in Muay Thai
The next step was unusual even by elite standards. Eersel did not leave kickboxing behind to chase another title. He added a second rule set while still holding the first belt.
On October 21, 2022, he faced Sinsamut Klinmee for the inaugural ONE Lightweight Muay Thai World Title and won a split decision. It was a close fight, but the result made him a champion in both kickboxing and Muay Thai inside the same promotion.
That is where the Regian Eersel ONE Championship story separates itself from many two-division or two-discipline achievements. He did not simply hold two belts at once. He defended them.
He retained the Muay Thai title against Sinsamut in their rematch on March 17, 2023, stopping him in the fourth round. Later that year, on June 9, 2023, he defended again, this time knocking out Dmitry Menshikov in the opening round. Those performances added force to what had already been a rare accomplishment: he was not a symbolic two-sport champion, but an active one.
The Nicolas rivalry and a setback
Long reigns usually run into one opponent who changes the tone of the story. For Eersel, that man was Alexis Nicolas.
They met on April 5, 2024, with the ONE lightweight kickboxing title on the line. Nicolas won by split decision, handing Eersel a significant defeat and ending a long championship run in that rule set. It was not a collapse, just a narrow loss at the top level, but it shifted the division and gave Eersel a rival who could disrupt his rhythm.
The rematch came later, and Eersel regained the belt by majority decision on October 4, 2024. That result matters in any accurate Regian Eersel record summary because it restored him as champion after the Nicolas setback. It also underlined something that had followed him throughout his career: he is difficult to discourage, and often better after a hard night than people expect.
Some versions of his biography include claims that he was stripped of the kickboxing title after a missed weight before a later fight. That point should be treated carefully unless tied to a clearly documented event from the promotion. The better-established title swing in this rivalry is the loss to Nicolas and the later win that brought the belt back.
Why he is so hard to fight
At first glance, Eersel’s advantages seem obvious: he is tall, long and technically polished. In practice, what makes him difficult is the accumulation of problems.
He can score from range with kicks. He can interrupt entries with knees. He can keep a fight moving at a pace that asks questions in every round. And because his conditioning is one of his strongest tools, opponents often find that the fight does not get easier once they survive the early stages.
That is why the nickname fits. “The Immortal” sounds dramatic, but in sporting terms it points to something concrete: he keeps coming, and he tends not to fade.
His knockout numbers also help explain the balance in his game. He has never been just a one-shot puncher, nor merely a points fighter. The stoppages are there, but so is the patience to win over five rounds. In ONE, especially, he built his reputation on attrition as much as sudden damage.
Life outside the ring
Away from competition, Eersel has long been based in Amsterdam. He is married and has children; public profiles commonly mention two daughters. That part of his life is usually kept in the background, which suits the way he presents himself. He is not a fighter who fills headlines with private drama.
Before the championship years, he also worked as a cook while training. That detail says a lot about the stage before the belts and walkouts. Like many high-level fighters, he spent years balancing ordinary work with the demands of a sport that offers no guarantees.
The personal details that do surface tend to be grounded rather than glamorous: the early move from Suriname, the bullying that pushed him toward martial arts, the strictness from his parents when school needed attention, the loyalty to one gym over the course of his rise. Together they make him easier to understand. The public version of Eersel is calm and composed; the private version, at least from what is documented, seems built on routine and discipline.
Record, standing and legacy in ONE
A complete Regian Eersel biography has to account for more than titles. It has to account for the way he won them and how long he stayed near the top.
He became ONE’s inaugural lightweight kickboxing champion in 2019. He added the inaugural lightweight Muay Thai title in 2022. He defended both. That alone put him in rare company within the promotion.
His kickboxing record is widely listed at 64-5 with 27 knockouts, though records in striking sports can vary slightly depending on source and whether certain bouts are included. The broad picture is clear even if databases differ on the margins: Eersel has spent years winning at a high level across two rule sets.
For readers searching Regian Eersel age, Regian Eersel height or Regian Eersel wife, the basics are straightforward. He was born in 1992, stands 1.89 meters tall, fights out of an orthodox stance, and keeps most family details relatively private.
What stands out most, though, is not a statistic. It is the shape of the career. From Paramaribo to Amsterdam, from taekwondo and rugby to Sityodtong, from early pro fights to title nights in ONE, Eersel has built his place through consistency. No shortcuts, no invented mythology. Just a long, disciplined run in two striking sports.
FAQ
What is Regian Eersel’s nickname?
He is known as “The Immortal.”
Where is Regian Eersel from?
He was born in Paramaribo, Suriname, and moved to the Netherlands as a child.
What gym does Regian Eersel train at?
He trains out of Sityodtong Amsterdam under Paul Pengel and Vincent Pengel.
What titles has Regian Eersel won in ONE Championship?
He has won the ONE Lightweight Kickboxing World Championship and the ONE Lightweight Muay Thai World Title.
What is Regian Eersel’s fighting style?
He is an orthodox striker known for pressure, long-range kicks and knees, strong cardio and the ability to keep a high pace over rounds.
Does Regian Eersel have children?
Public profiles say he is a father, and multiple sources mention two daughters.
