For years, has ruled over the ONE lightweight kickboxing and Muay Thai divisions with conviction — but on Friday, August 1, one man will look to threaten his reign.
The Dutch-Surinamese fighter defends his ONE Lightweight Muay Thai World Title for a third time against Englishman in the main event of . The event airs live in U.S. primetime from the coveted Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.
Eersel is keen to continue his domination, add to his legacy in the striking arts, and pay tribute to the journey that has got him this far.
From Tropical Climates To European Winters
Eersel was born in Suriname, which is located on the northeastern coast of South America. However, he did not spend too long in his country of birth.
The athlete’s grandparents raised him in his early years, while his mother went ahead to the Netherlands to prepare life for the family in Europe, in the hope of securing better prospects for her son.
He finally moved to Amsterdam at the tender age of 4, but the transition was initially difficult. In fact, he experienced a little bit of a culture shock.
He recalled:
“For me, it was horrible because I went from Suriname, which is hot and tropical, and I came to Holland in the winter. I went from 30 degrees [Celsius] to minus ten.
“The food was different and the people were different. I used to play outside in Suriname — here in Holland, you can play outside, but there’s no jungle. It was a real change for me as a child.”
Despite the need to acclimatize, Eersel felt accepted in a multicultural area of the city. He spent much of his childhood being active outside with his friends, and he enjoyed being a part of such a diverse community.
Eersel said:
“We lived in a neighborhood where all the nationalities are. It was just normal to be there around all different people. We used to play outside, just playing games with your friends. We’d play soccer, hide and seek, and all sorts of active games like that.”
The Path To Kickboxing
With a love for sports from an early age, Eersel got involved with taekwondo when he was 7 years old. But after a few competitions and some grading, his interests moved elsewhere.
The physicality of rugby appealed to him, and he even reached the Dutch national side. However, his sporting aspirations were derailed briefly.
He said:
“It went bad at school, and my parents made me focus on that.”
Ultimately, that forced break led him back to martial arts.
Striking sports were huge in the Netherlands, and he watched the likes of on television. That motivated him to try kickboxing and Muay Thai.
An internet search revealed there was a nearby gym — Sityodtong Amsterdam — where he could continue pursuing his interest, believing his background in taekwondo would be of some use.
He explained:
“I got my grades back up and my mother said I could go back to sports — rugby or something else. I wanted to go to kickboxing. I found the kickboxing school in my neighborhood, and I stepped in [the gym] when I was 15 years old.”
Eersel was eager to compete straight away, but it took time to build up a relationship with his coaches and prove his commitment. This was never a problem, however, as he knew had found his calling.
Kickboxing was a much-needed outlet through which “The Immortal” could channel his teen aggression, so he did not miss a session. At the age of 16, he stepped through the ropes for the first time and began his career.
Eersel revealed:
“My mother was happy that I was back in sports again, but she was scared when I said I wanted to fight.
“These men [Paul and Vincent Pengel] have inspired me so much. I’ve been there for [many] years. They’re not just my trainers, but my friends and my family.”
Staying On The Right Path
The area Eersel grew up in was a tough suburb of Amsterdam, and drugs and crime were all around him.
It would have been easy to get lured into that lifestyle, but “The Immortal” was focused on his training and burgeoning career.
He recalled:
“When I was a kid, it was a rough neighborhood, but now it’s improved. There were a lot of drug addicts, a lot of robberies, and just a lot of criminal stuff.
“Amsterdam is crazy. Almost every drug is easy to get or sell, so everybody has a friend that has used them, or has connections. It can be easy to go the wrong way, but Muay Thai gave me focus.”
Building A Legacy
Eersel cut his teeth on the Dutch amateur circuit, but since the beginning of his professional career, he has always sought the toughest tests around the globe.
From his first professional bout onward, the striker has not competed at home in the Netherlands.
“My first pro fight was in Azerbaijan, and it started really rolling from there. From that point on, I only fought in other countries — America, China, Russia, even back in Suriname. When I started to fight in other countries and make money, my mum realized it was going to be bigger than she thought.”
Eersel then joined ONE in 2018, where he’s gone 12-1 and captured both the ONE Lightweight Kickboxing and Muay Thai World Titles.
He’s defended his belts multiple times, losing only once to in a closely contested ONE Kickboxing World Title fight. But Eersel redeemed himself in his next bout against the same man, reclaiming the strap he momentarily lost.
The loss on an otherwise unblemished record in the world’s largest martial arts organization was just that — a mere bump in the road that Eersel has traveled to become one of the greatest lightweight strikers of our time.
Now he’s out to prove his legendary status all over again, this time against Jarvis. And he plans to do it in the most devastating way of all.
“I have a game plan, and I’m not gonna tell you the game plan, of course. That’s why you need to watch the fight. But the plan is to drag him to the championship rounds and just break him there in the fourth and fifth rounds.”
