“I want to be known as the chosen one” – Luke Lessei on his desire to be the face of American Muay Thai 

Fifth-ranked ONE featherweight Muay Thai contender Luke Lessei entered ONE Fight Night 19 with a massive chip on his shoulder against fellow American Eddie Abasolo.

‘The Chef’, after all, wanted to prove that he was the USA’s best representative of 'The Art of Eight Limbs', and he certainly did so with another awe-inspiring performance.

Lessei and Abasolo were as good as advertised, figuring in arguably one of the most exciting back-and-forth matchups from the action-packed card.

The pair of world-class strikers showcased some high-level Muay Thai, proving that the sport has truly expanded outside of Thailand.

The American headhunters traded knockdowns and left it all on the line in three rounds of non-stop Muay Thai madness.

In the end, it was Lessei’s volume, accuracy, and overall damage that allowed him to escape with the razor-close split decision nod.

In his ONE Fight Night 19 post-event interview, the 27-year-old opened up about his desire to become the best American Muay Thai athlete in the world:

“It definitely was a challenge because I want to be known as ‘the chosen one’, ‘the star from America’. When people think of American Muay Thai, I want them to say my name in the same sentence.”

After a scintillating display like that one, it’s certainly hard to deny Luke Lessei of that distinction.

The replay of ONE Fight Night 19 is available free of charge for existing Prime Video subscribers in the United States and Canada

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Who’s next for Luke Lessei?

The sky is indeed the limit for Luke Lessei, especially now that he clinched his first W in the world’s largest martial arts organization.

The promotion’s featherweight Muay Thai division is arguably one of its most stacked ranks, and there are plenty of intriguing match-ups for ‘The Chef’.

Fans certainly want to see the rematch between him and Smokin’ Jo Nattawut. The veteran Sitthichai Sitsongpeenong could serve as a good test to see if Lessei is ready for ONE featherweight Muay Thai kingpin Tawanchai PK Saenchai.