“I have nothing to lose” – Luke Lessei says he’ll go for broke to get upset win over the favored Jo Nattawut

American Muay Thai fighter Luke Lessei sees his ONE Championship debut next month as a grand opportunity to introduce himself to the world and will do everything he can to see his goal through.

‘The Chef’ will make his initial foray into ONE Championship on December 8 at ONE Fight Night 17 on Prime Video in Bangkok, Thailand. He will take on Thai veteran Jo Nattawut in a featured featherweight Muay Thai showdown.

Speaking to onefc.com in an interview, Luke Lessei said for his debut, he is taking a nothing to lose approach and looking to spring up a surprise.

The 27-year-old Iowa native said:

“But I really have nothing to lose. A lot of people maybe don’t even know who I am. I’m just this [foreign] kid from Iowa who’s coming to fight Jo Nattawut. I think people might consider that an upset if I win – when I win.”

Luke Lessei was tapped as a replacement opponent for ONE Fight Night 17 after Danish fighter Niclas Larsen was rendered a no-go because of injury.

Prior to signing up with ONE, Lessei made a name for himself by competing in various tournaments in different parts of the world, including the World Muay Thai Championships and the Triumph Muay Thai Tournament. He banked on his dynamic style of play and stony finishes to achieve success.

In his debut, he is up against a certified knockout artist in Jo Nattawut, who has hit a rough patch of late and is looking to turn things around.

ONE Fight Night 17 is free for Prime Video subscribers in North America and will be broadcast live in US primetime.

Luke Lessei looks to live up to his moniker in ONE debut

Luke Lessei is nicknamed “The Chef’ for his ability to mix things up in his attack, something he is out to showcase when he takes the ONE Championship stage for the first time in December.

The Iowa native will battle Thai knockout artist Jo Nattawut in a featherweight Muay Thai showdown at ONE Fight Night 17 on Prime Video on December 8 in Bangkok, Thailand.

While he is coming into the contest as a relatively unknown, Luke Lessei is still confident that he can hold his own against ‘Smokin Jo’ and believes his versatility will pose problems to his opponent.

He told onefc.com in an interview:

“I’m ‘The Chef,’ so I mix it up as much as I can. And I think that’s gonna play a huge factor because when you’re getting all this information thrown at you – and this goes for anybody – it’s gonna be hard to handle.”

ONE Fight Night 17 headlined by the showdown between light heavyweight kickboxing world champion Roman Kryklia of Ukraine and Alex Roberts of Australia for the inaugural ONE heavyweight Muay Thai world title. It is set to go down at the famed Lumpinee Boxing Stadium.