‘These Lyrics Are Real Life’ – How Rap Music Influenced Regian Eersel’s Rise As A Martial Arts Icon
· Yahoo Sports
Regian “The Immortal” Eersel is a master of rhythm. Inside the ring, the reigning ONE Lightweight Muay Thai World Champion orchestrates violence with a terrifying cadence, breaking down opponents with surgical precision and an unbreakable will.
Born in Suriname and raised in the Netherlands, the 33-year-old found his rhythm through the speakers of a stereo long before he became a global martial arts icon.
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In the main event of The Inner Circle Fights on Friday, April 10, live in Asia primetime from Bangkok’s legendary Lumpinee Stadium, Eersel steps back into the spotlight to face Thai striking machine Rungrawee “Legatron” Sitsongpeenong for the vacant ONE Lightweight Kickboxing World Title.
But before he climbs into the ONE Championship ring, “The Immortal” looks back at the soundtrack that forged his ironclad mindset.
The Soundtrack Of A World Champion
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Music and martial arts have always shared an unspoken synergy. For many combat sports athletes, a carefully curated playlist is the ultimate psychological trigger. It’s a tool used to manifest energy, drown out the noise, and prepare the mind for battle.
For Eersel, his musical selection is vast, eclectic, and deeply personal.
But beyond the heavy beats and infectious melodies, “The Immortal” connects most profoundly with the message behind the music. Hip-hop and rap, in particular, offer a mirror to his own experiences and the harsh realities faced by marginalized communities.
The Sityodtong Amsterdam star explained:
“Every day it’s very diverse. Let me give you a couple of names – Drake, Lil Baby, 21 Savage, Burna Boy, Biggie, Tupac, Omah Lay, Joeboy, LAX, Future, Bad Bunny.
“I like the lyrics. But it’s also part of my goals. The songs give you a different energy, a different vibe. Most of the time, the songs also share a story, and sometimes I see myself in the story, or I know that people of my color also experience those kinds of situations daily.”
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When he needs to dig deep and find inspiration during a grueling fight camp, Eersel turns to the legends of the genre. The raw, unfiltered storytelling of 90s rap icons resonates perfectly with his fighting spirit.
Yet, within those gritty narratives of struggle, Eersel also finds the ultimate motivation to persevere and conquer his circumstances.
He elaborated:
“To give myself inspiration, I would say I have to listen to Tupac or DMX. They rap about discrimination. They rap about how life is unfair as a black person in America.
“But on the other side, they also push you to do good and chase your dreams in other songs. They tell you everything is going to be alright. And in other songs, not always, because life is hard.”
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Lessons From The Tuindorp Hustler Click
Long before he was commanding the global stage, a young Eersel was getting his most vital life lessons from a local Dutch rap collective known as the Tuindorp Hustler Click, or “THC.” Emerging from the streets of Amsterdam, THC was a sprawling, diverse group of artists who captured the authentic, often overlooked immigrant experience in Europe.
For a young Surinamese boy navigating a new world, the group’s unapologetic verses provided a raw education on society and identity.
The ONE lightweight Muay Thai king recalled:
“I was like 11 or 12, so I didn’t have money to buy CDs. I got CDs from my parents. We had a Dutch rap group [Tuindorp Hustler Click or “THC”]. We still have them, I think. They used to be like 15 rappers and now maybe only five or six are alive. No Dutch guys inside the group, so all foreign rappers.
“They rapped about life in the Netherlands, in Dutch, and about how it is to be a foreigner in the Netherlands.”
Beyond the collective’s raw storytelling, certain songs left a lasting imprint on Eersel. Tracks like “Wil Je Weten Hoe Het Voelt?” which translates to “Do You Want To Know How It Feels?” offered an unfiltered look into the emotional weight of being seen as different, of navigating a society where acceptance is not always given.
At the same time, “Je Bent Niet Alleen,” or “You Are Not Alone” carried a quieter, more reassuring message, reminding listeners that shared struggle can also mean shared strength. Together, those songs helped shape how he understood identity, resilience, and belonging at a young age.
While the gritty lyrics were filled with explicit language that most parents would shield their children from, Eersel’s father saw the music as a necessary survival guide.
It was a stark warning about the hurdles his son would inevitably face.
Eersel reflected:
“My parents bought the CDs, and we listened to them in the car. They also cursed, and I wasn’t really allowed to listen to it, but my dad had something like, ‘This is rap music, and I want you to hear it because this is about real life. We are foreign people. We have a Dutch passport, but they don’t see us like those people. So I want you to listen to it.’”
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Those car rides became foundational to his mental fortitude. The music laid bare the stark realities of the world, preparing him for the battles he would fight both inside and outside the ring.
Even at a young age, Eersel was already navigating a life shaped by separation and adaptation. He spent part of his childhood away from his parents, who had moved to the Netherlands in search of a better future. That distance, paired with the unfiltered lessons in the music, gave him an early understanding of hardship, identity, and what it would take to succeed.
“The Immortal” stated:
“That had an effect on me, positively. Even when I was a child, it opened my eyes. Man, these lyrics are real life. And I noticed when I grew older, some situations I heard in the songs, I experienced myself. Like, they were right. It’s crazy.”
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Forging ‘The Immortal’ Through Adversity
Eersel’s ascent to martial arts royalty was paved with the exact hardships THC warned him about. He quickly realized that the playing field was far from level, and merely being good would never be enough.
This developed a thick skin that became his armor. Every instance of bias or marginalization only threw fuel on his competitive fire, forging the legendary work ethic that defines his career today.
He explained:
“It shaped me into the man I am today. It wasn’t easy. People still saw me as a foreigner. Back then, I had to work twice as hard as the average Dutch person. There was racism here and there, but it made my skin thicker.
“You learn early how life works in Europe. It makes you fight for everything. It made me work harder than everyone around me. When you have big dreams, nobody will do the work for you. You have to do it yourself.”
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Rising above that discrimination required an unbreakable spirit. It meant pushing past the subtle prejudices that quietly try to keep a person down.
Instead of letting those judgments break him, Eersel used them as stepping stones.
Today, “The Immortal” stands as a towering figure in combat sports. As the reigning ONE Lightweight Muay Thai World Champion, he has transcended those early struggles to become a beacon of hope and inspiration for millions of fans across the globe who see their own stories reflected in his triumphant rise.
Eersel concluded:
“You notice things – the way people look at you, small behaviors. They don’t always say it directly, but you feel it. You have a brown skin color, and people treat you differently in small ways.
“People would judge you immediately. They assume things about you without knowing you. Those small things shape you.”
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