Luke Lessei will arrive on ONE’s global stage this weekend with a new-found love for Muay Thai. On Friday, December 8, the American striker will take on “Smokin” Jo Nattawut in the co-main event of ONE Fight Night 17: Kryklia vs. Roberts inside the iconic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.
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The promotion’s first all-Muay Thai event will be broadcast live and for free on Prime Video for fans across North America, and it promises to be a barnburner.
How Lessei fell back in love with Muay Thai
“The art of eight limbs” has been part of Lessei’s life for as long as he can remember. Growing up in his father’s gym, training became second nature to him, and this helped him dominate the amateur circuit in the United States. However, there was a time when he felt that he was simply going through the motions in the sport, which slowed his progress and had him questioning his path.
But in a recent interview with ONE Championship, the 27-year-old shared how he found the fire for Muay Thai again.
“Because I’ve been doing it for so long, motivation, obviously, isn’t there all the time. I guess I didn’t have motivation for a while. And it just came back because I had my daughter. And then I had my son,” Lessei said.
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“I became a father. I started seeing the light of where I could go in Muay Thai. I started getting noticed by ONE, and then I started falling in love with it again.
“It sounds dumb, but I want to make money for them. You know, I’m from a small town, so being able to do Muay Thai and just support them, it’s the coolest thing ever.”
Will ‘ The Chef ‘ come out on top against Nattawut?
The Dubuque, Iowa native sacrificed his social life in pursuit of excellence, and it yielded positive results, as he carried over his amateur success when he turned professional. With his passion reignited, Lessei wanted to showcase his talents to a broader audience, and he constantly sought the attention of ONE Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong while amassing a pristine 5-0 record.
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Now that he is in the big leagues, “The Chef” wants to make a statement by defeating the #4-ranked fighter in the stacked featherweight Muay Thai division.
Nattawut is fresh off a narrow loss to ONE Featherweight Muay Thai World Champion Tawanchai PK Saenchai in a kickboxing battle at ONE Fight Night 15 this past October, so he’ll be eager to bounce back and keep his place in the rankings.
With Lessei’s quest to introduce himself in style and “Smokin’s” determination to establish his dominance, their battle should be fireworks on Friday night.