Leading up to the third defense of his ONE Lightweight Muay Thai World Title, Regian “The Immortal” Eersel‘s plan was to drag George “G-Unit” Jarvis into the championship rounds where he would slowly, and painfully, finish him there.
In reality, the Dutch-Surinamese kingpin needed just 84 seconds to crush his challenger in the main event of ONE Fight Night 34 on Prime Video.
The two most dangerous lightweight strikers on the planet collided at Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, on Friday, August 1, and capped off what was a stellar event that aired live in U.S. primetime.
Eersel – who chalks up his success to his supportive coaches at Sityodtong Amsterdam – came out of his corner like a sniper, looking calm and methodical in his approach.
Jarvis tried to gain the respect of the defending king with low kicks, but the 32-year-old retaliated with twice the output at double the speed. He smashed his shin onto the outside and inside thigh of the British challenger, who took it as a sign to stay ready for the ensuing war.
Guard high, chin protected, and teeth clenched, Jarvis still couldn’t prevent the javelin of a right punch that Eersel sent through his arms and into his face – and the 25-year-old Englishman went down.
Shaking the effects of the punch off his jaw while climbing back to his feet, Jarvis beat the eight-count and carried his flag back into battle. But by this point, Eersel was ready to unleash his trademark finishing sequence.
The ONE Lightweight Muay Thai World Champion teeped Jarvis to the ropes and then pummeled him with punches and a thunderous right elbow. As the Brit shelled up and backed away, “The Immortal” sent one last right hand crashing through the guard.
Eersel then went airborne with a flying knee, but it just missed as the challenger had already hit the floor. This time, Jarvis couldn’t beat the count, forcing referee Olivier Coste to call off the action at the 1:24 mark of round one.
With the finish, Eersel stacked another victory on top of a legacy that not many lightweight strikers will ever build.
The Dutch-Surinamese king improved his record to 64-5 under Muay Thai and kickboxing rules, and he earned a US$50,000 performance bonus from ONE Championship Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong.
