WATCH: Bampara Kouyate gets slicing with surgical elbow strike against Luke Lessei

ONE featherweight Muay Thai star Bampara Kouyate was out to prove this past Friday, July 5 at ONE Fight Night 23 that his promotional debut defeat in 2023 was just an off-night.

Happening inside the iconic Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, the WMC European Muay Thai Champion and former French National Muay Thai Champion squared off with fifth-ranked featherweight Muay Thai star Luke Lessei.

Kouyate had the five-inch reach advantage over 'The Chef' but despite that, the American fighter's aggression carried him throughout the contest. Lessei was eyeing to claim his second-straight victory, but Kouyate landed a sharp counter-elbow strike to open a cut on Lessei's left eye in round one.

Check out the big elbow hit from Bampara Kouyate as posted by ONE Championship on Instagram which can be seen below.

A Lessei knockdown in round three gave him all the momentum he needed to finish the fight strong, but Kouyate responded with a sharp uppercut to Lessei that forced referee Olivier Coste to call off the fight, giving him the monumental TKO victory.

Bampara Kouyate happy to have been underdog against Luke Lessei

Entering ONE Fight Night 23, fans viewed the Team Mehdi Zatout product as the underdog versus Lessei because of his unanimous decision loss to Shakir Al-Tekreeti, but it just motivated him to pick up the victory.

Bampara Kouyate told Sportskeeda MMA before the event:

"I don't think they're wrong, because they don't really know me, and my last performance wasn't really good for me. But, it is what it is, it's a game. Sometimes you are the underdog, you are a challenger, it's just like that."

Fans with an active Prime Video subscription in the United States and Canada can rewatch the entirety of ONE Fight Night 23 on demand.