“Alright, back to work” - Eddie Abasolo says razor close loss to Luke Lessei fueled his inner fire

Eddie Abasolo's closely contested loss against Luke Lessei has fueled the fire deep inside him.

Looking to bounce back from a devastating defeat against Sitthichai Sitsongpeenong at ONE Friday Fights 22, 'Silky Smooth' returned to the ring in February for a clash with Dubuque, Iowa native Luke Lessei at ONE Fight Night 19.

After three entertaining rounds, Lessei was declared the winner on two of the three judges' scorecards, securing a split-decision victory over the American standout.

Looking back on the bout during a recent interview with Cageside Press, Abasolo recalls never backing down despite eating Lessei's best shots:

"It was kind of like, 'Alright, what else?' I mean, I took one of his best shots and I got back up," Abasolo said. "Even after I got back up, he came on to attack to try and finish me, then after I was able to weather the storm, I was like “Alright, back to work.” Ain’t no thing."

Regardless, 'Silky Smooth' came up short that night, suffering his second-straight loss on martial arts' biggest global stage.

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Eddie Abasolo faces a tough test when he meets Mohamed Rabah Younes at ONE 169

Determined to bounce back, Eddie Abasolo will return to the legendary Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, on Friday, Nov. 8 for a showdown against Algerian knockout artist Mohamed Younes Rabah at ONE 169, airing live and exclusively on Amazon Prime Video in the United States and Canada.

Like Abasolo, Rabah will also look to return to the win column after seeing his undefeated record end at the hands of Thai legend Saemapetch Fairtex in February.

Overall, 'The Eagle' goes into his third promotional appearance with a solid 14-1 record.

Abasolo also enters the bout with 14 career wins, but with six losses and a 1-3 record under the ONE banner, 'Silky Smooth' is in desperate need of a big win at ONE 169.

Fans in the United States and Canada can watch ONE 169: Malykhin vs. ‘Reug Reug’ live on Amazon Prime Video on Friday, Nov. 8 in U.S. primetime.