ONE Fight Night 11: 3 Keys To Victory For Regian Eersel

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ONE Lightweight Muay Thai and Kickboxing World Champion Regian Eersel will look to continue his unbeaten promotional run when he returns to Bangkok, Thailand's iconic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium for the second time this year on Saturday, 10 June.

"The Immortal" headlines ONE Fight Night 11 when he defends his coveted ONE Lightweight Muay Thai World Title for a second time against promotional newcomer and kickboxing standout Dmitry Menshikov.

The heavy-handed Russian will certainly pose one of the biggest threats to Eersel's long-time reign. With that, let's look at three keys to victory for Eersel this weekend at the Thai capital.

1. Utilize Reach To Keep Menshikov At Bay: Eersel's reach has continuously given him a strong advantage over many of his opponents in ONE Championship, and he has to pepper Menshikov with it to keep him at bay.

With a dangerous slugger like Menshikov, unleashing his textbook tool in his jab could help Eersel stop the Russian whenever he attempts to close the distance on the Surinamese athlete.

If Eersel can continue to push his battler back with the jab, it will frustrate Menshikov and force him to make mistakes, opening up a window of opportunity for Eersel to capitalize on.

2. Avoid Brawling: In 27 professional victories, Menshikov has notched 19 knockouts - a superbly dangerous statistic that Eersel has to be wary of. In fact, "The Immortal" must avoid being baited into a slugfest at all costs.

But like Menshikov, Eersel also has crushing power, which he showcased by stopping Sinsamut Klinmee in March with a terrifically placed body shot. But there's much more to gain for Menshikov here, and one punch from the 25-year-old could spell danger for Eersel.

The best approach for Eersel to take is to look at putting on another Muay Thai masterclass, wearing down Menshikov with his technical superiority and keeping his cool when pressured by the Russian challenger.

3. Look For Opportunities To Counter: With an opportunity to stun the striking world and take the Muay Thai crown as his own, Menshikov will be gunning Eersel's head, and that makes this a scary scenario for the champion.

In order to leave with his gold intact, Eersel should stay on the outside of Menshikov's range. If Eersel can dictate the range and read Menshikov's attacks at a distance, his lengthy limbs could bring him the victory.