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Jo Nattawut was all praise for Luke Lessei for the gallant stand he put up in their barnburner of a match at ONE Fight Night 17 on Prime Video, which went down on December 8 in Bangkok, Thailand.
The Thai veteran won by unanimous decision in their featured featherweight Muay Thai clash, but not before being taken to the limit by ‘The Chef'.
34-year-old Nattawut had himself a fight against ONE-debuting Lessei, who stood toe-to-toe against him in their three-round clash. As much as he pummeled the American with varying hits, the Nakhon Ratchasima native was also on the receiving end of telling blows from elbows and push kicks.
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In the end, however, Jo Nattawut earned the nod of all of the judges for the hard-earned victory. Given how his fight against Lessei went down, ‘Smokin’ Jo had only respect for his opponent, relaying during his in-ring, post-match interview:
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“Respect, that’s all I have for him. He’s also my friend, his cornerman. We’re all friends, but we get in here, we give him hell, and make sure the fans like it, that’s all we need.”
The win ended for Jo Nattawut a three-fight skid and he is now looking to build on the victory moving forward.
Meanwhile, despite the loss, Lessei undoubtedly turned heads with his spirited showing, including ONE Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong, making a return trip to the promotion’s fight cards highly likely.
The full replay of ONE Fight Night 17 is available free on demand for existing Prime Video subscribers in North America
Jo Nattawut expected to be challenged by Luke Lessei
What transpired at ONE Fight Night 17 on Prime Video was what exactly Jo Nattawut expected from Luke Lessei, and good thing he came prepared for it.
The 34-year-old Thai Top Team athlete survived three rounds of highly competitive Muay Thai action against ‘The Chef', hacking out a hard-earned unanimous decision victory.
It was, however, no longer surprising as he was fully aware that Lessei had a lot in his sleeves and had a solid foundation for his game.
Jo Nattawut shared to onefc.com in an interview in the lead-up:
“With his style, he likes to play a lot. He’s a tricky guy, plays a lot. Yeah, that’s it. That’s what we see.”
The victory at ONE Fight Night 17 marked the return of Nattawut to the win column after hitting a rough patch previously.
