ONE Fight Night 25: Nicolas vs. Eersel II Preview and Predictions

The ONE Fight Night series returns on Friday, Oct. 4, for their 25th event on Amazon Prime Video. ONE Fight Night 25 goes down inside Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, with the following combat sports being showcased – Muay Thai (6), MMA (4), and kickboxing (1).

Friday’s main event features a highly-anticipated rematch for the lightweight kickboxing world title. Six months ago, Alexis Nicolas pulled off a shocking upset to dethrone Regian Eersel of his status as a two-sport world champion. Eersel now looks to utilize his newfound motivation and avenge his defeat against his French counterpart.

The ONE Fight Night 25 co-main event will be a low-stakes, but highly-entertaining, flyweight Muay Thai matchup between Kongthoranee and Tagir Khalilov. Both fighters are coming off losses and plans to establish themselves in the division’s title picture with an impressive win.

Fans can also expect the following matchups later this week – John Lineker vs Alexey Balyko (bantamweight Muay Thai), Bokang Masunyane vs Mansur Malachiev (strawweight MMA), Sinsamut Klinmee vs Youssef Assouik (lightweight Muay Thai), and more.

The event airs live on Amazon Prime Video starting at 8 p.m. ET. Let’s take a look at the preview and predictions for the event.

Alexis Nicolas picked up a unanimous decision win back in December when he fought Regian Eersel the first time; can the French fighter recreate that result in the rematch?

There weren’t many people who thought Alexis Nicolas would defeat Regian Eersel. At the time, Nicolas held a 1-0 promotional record (UD against Magomed Magomedov), while Eersel was a two-sport world champion with records of 7-0 in kickboxing and 3-0 in Muay Thai.

Nicolas overcame the odds and dethroned Eersel in the ONE Fight Night 21 main event. The Frenchman has another massive hurdle to overcome on Friday, as Eersel gained fifteen minutes of data and has a rejuvenated mindset.

No disrespect to Nicolas’ impressive performance, but an argument can be made that Eersel was caught lacking. ‘The Immortal’ seemed unbeatable in ONE Championship and could have started to lose motivation after finding much success.

At ONE Fight Night 25, Eersel won’t be overlooking Nicolas in any way. The Suriname-born fighter could also come out more aggressive after typically starting slow in his kickboxing bouts. Eersel should be able to utilize his power and fighting experience to ensure he gets his hand raised by unanimous decision in what should be another entertaining battle.

Both Kongthoranee Sor.Sommai and Tagir Khalilov enter their co-main event showdown coming off of losses; which fighter gets back on track?

Kongthoranee endured a brutal lesson last time out that will benefit him in the long run. The hard-hitting Thai faced now-two-sport world champion Superlek, with the latter winning by a clear unanimous decision. Kongthoranee now looks to utilize his added experience and bounce back to extend his promotional record to 9-2.
As for Tagir Khalilov, he’s coming off a first-round knockout loss against Nakrob Fairtex. The Russian has endured ups and downs in ONE Champion (3-3) and plans to make a statement in the flyweight Muay Thai division by taking out Kongthoranee.

Kongthoranee’s ability to go the distance with Superlek shouldn’t be overlooked, especially after what happened with Jonathan Haggerty. The 2x Rajadamnern Stadium Muay Thai world champion has continued to evolve since signing with ONE and should be able to knock out Khalilov in rounds one or two with his speed and power advantage.

John Lineker scored a huge win in his Muay Thai fight against Asa Ten Pow in Denver; does his momentum continue this weekend?

Nobody knew what to expect when John Lineker made his promotional Muay Thai debut at ONE 168: Denver. The former ONE bantamweight MMA world champion made the most of the opportunity by battering the durable Asa Ten Pow before winning by second-round knockout.

Lineker will continue his journey in “The Art of Eight Limbs” against Alexey Balyko. The 31-year-old Russian holds a promotional record of 3-1, two finishes, including a first-round knockout against Stefan Korodi last time out.

Lineker’s lack of pure Muay Thai experience will be a continuous factor moving forward. With that said, the Brazilian’s relentless aggression and devastating power make him a dangerous opponent for anyone. Balyko needs to utilize his leg kicks early to slow down Lineker, but it likely won’t be enough, with ‘Hands of Stone’ winning by unanimous decision.

Which fight is the sleeper matchup on this card?

The ONE Fight Night 25 sleeper matchup is a flyweight Muay Thai bout between Johan Estupinan and Zakaria El Jamari.

Estupinan has separated himself as one of the most entertaining prospects in ONE Championship. At 22 years old, the Columbian flyweight holds a 3-0 promotional record, all finishes, including a second-round knockout against Sean Climaco at ONE 168.

Estupinan’s next test is against El Jamari, whose three fights in ONE have been entertaining. The Moroccan-born fighter is coming off a loss against Aliff Sor Dechapan, but he shouldn’t be overlooked, as he’s moving up from strawweight and could find success with the decreased weight cut.

Estupinan’s journey in ONE has been fun and his next test against El Jamari provides fans another opportunity to learn about him. Don’t miss this matchup on Friday.