Regian Eersel is getting used to life at the top of the food chain. The Surinamese-Dutchman has held ONE Championship’s lightweight kick-boxing title since 2019, and has defended it three times since, with decision wins over Nieky Holzken, Mustapha Haida and Islam Murtazaev. His win-streak dates back even further than that, spanning 18 fights over six years. After so much success, it should come as no surprise that winning is beginning to feel commonplace to him. “For me it feels almost normal,” Eersel said during a press call this week. “It’s six years that I’ve been unbeaten. It feels good. I enjoy it.” While Eersel has grown comfortable on the throne, do not mistake his comfort for complacency. This Friday, in the main event of ONE Championship 156, the 29-year-old will look to defend his title for the fourth time at the expense of Germany’s Arian Sadikovic. ONE Championship reveals flyweight Muay Thai grand prix The champion views the German as a very tough challenge. “Arian, I think he’s a good fighter,” he said. “He likes to pressure. I saw in [his] fight against Haida very good skills from him – boxing skills, also kicks and knees. I think it’s going to be a hard fight.” Eersel also admits that there are plenty of gaps in his own skill set that his challenger could conceivably exploit on the night. “Nobody is perfect,” he said. “Nobody has perfect defence. Nobody is unbeatable. Everybody is a human being. Everybody bleeds. We’re all humans and a fight is a fight. Anything can happen in a fight. “I think he will put pressure on me, try to find the holes [in my game], and I will do the same. It’s going to be a banger.” Still, the champion believes he will tally another victory this Friday in Singapore, further cementing himself as one of kick-boxing’s top pound-for-pound talents. ONE Championship 156 preview: five storylines to watch “I don’t think he’s going to beat me,” he said. “I think I will beat him – and I hope by way of KO.” From there, Eersel believes his dominance will continue thanks to his tireless approach to training and cerebral approach to competition. “Because of my training schedule – I keep training, even when I don’t have a fight,” he said when asked how he has stayed so dominant. “Fighting is also mental. You have to be strong mentally. I think I’m very strong in my head.”