Alexis Nicolas has risen through the ranks to arrive at the biggest opportunity of his career at ONE Championship’s next event, but his journey was far from easy.

On Friday, April 5, the Frenchman will challenge Regian Eersel for the ONE Lightweight Kickboxing World Championship in the main event of ONE Fight Night 21: Eersel vs Nicolas inside the iconic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand. 

Alexis Nicolas and the second time out at ONE’s global stage

It will only be the second time Nicolas has performed on the global stage of ONE, but he is riding a huge wave of momentum, with 23 straight victories, and he hopes it will lead him to claim ONE gold. Reflecting on his career so far, “Barboza” outlined how he used martial arts to set an example for his family during a difficult upbringing.

“I was the man of the house. My father was abusive, so we had to run away. What I wanted to prove to my siblings is that you can be a strong guy and be kind at the same time – and not be abusive. I had to be the guy, be the man of the house,” he said.

With such a negative home life, it was only natural for Nicolas to feel anger and frustration in his teenage years. Those closest to him recognized this, and they pushed him to find a positive avenue for his energy, leading him to discover martial arts. 

“At the beginning, I was not a sporty kind of guy. Very reserved and super timid, but I had a lot of rage in me,” Nicolas said. “My friends actually told me to have an outlet for my violence and proposed I go to a boxing gym next to my house. I was 14 years old, and that’s how I started.”

One win is all it takes

Over a decade later, “Barboza” has risen to prominence by dominating the competitive European kickboxing scene, and he is now one win away from reaching global superstardom in ONE Championship. What started as a means to defend himself is now a career for Nicolas, and he is far from where he used to be.

“The neighborhood was, kind of, violent. So my only solution was to fight, basically. In order to get out of my situation and also to get away from the vices of my neighborhood,” the undefeated star said. ONE Fight Night 21 will be broadcast live and free on Prime Video for fans across North America with an active Amazon Subscription. 

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