"War chef" - Fans are fired up for Luke Lessei's impending return to action against Bampara Kouyate at ONE Fight Night 23

Luke Lessei's imminent return to the stage has all the Muay Thai fans going wild with anticipation. The Iowa brawler has been scheduled for his second matchup of the year to fight French featherweight Bampara Kouyate in an anticipated three-round barnburner at ONE Fight Night 23 on Friday, July 5.

Slated to fight against an equally resilient foe in Kouyate, there's no doubt these two tacticians will put on a show, especially 'The Chef' Luke Lessei, who has garnered a reputation in his last two outings of being a non-stop scrapper.

The fans expressed their excitement this week following the release of their official fight poster on Instagram.

Check out the fight poster below:

Check out the reactions below:

Fan comments

ONE Fight Night 23 will be streamed live from inside the famed Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, via Prime Video in Canada and the US.

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Luke Lessei explains the crucial moments leading to his comeback fight against Eddie Abasolo

Luke Lessei made an impression on the fans this past February against Eddie Abasolo for his warrior spirit and hard-won performance at ONE Fight Night 19.

The American slugger was on a mission to bounce back from a debut loss to 'Smokin' Jo Nattawut heading into his matchup with Abasolo. Although he put on a fiery performance with Nattawut, he was disappointed for being short on technique and strategy with the Muay Thai veteran.

But, he certainly made up for it against Abasolo after recovering from a knockdown in the second round of their firefight. Calm and composed, Lessei wobbled Abasolo a number of three times before garnering the win via split decision.

Recalling those crucial moments with ONE Championship, he said:

"When I got dropped, I just got right back up, I didn't even think twice. I knew I needed to get right back into it, show that Midwest mentality, and just bite down and keep going until the very end."