DUBUQUE, Iowa (KCRG) – Since he was four, Luke Lessei has been training at his father’s martial arts gym in Dubuque.
“That’s how we play catch, me and my dad punch,” Luke said.
Dean Lessei, who owns Dubuque Martial Arts Group, was a fighter in his day, and has passed his knowledge down to Luke.
“He’s been running this gym in the same spot,” Luke said. “Most of my childhood memories are in this gym.”
“The Chef,” as he’s known, has won 13 Thai Boxing Association tournaments in the U.S., and he’s competed internationally.
“It’s not a top-secret way to train really. It’s just discipline, work hard, it’s about putting in the flight time,” said Dean. “You can’t be a pilot unless you log the flight hours right?”
Lessei knew his hard work was paying off when he was contacted by the ONE Championship, the biggest Muay Thai and kickboxing promotion on the planet.
“The CEO of ONE Championship he was in my inbox. He hit my inbox on Instagram at 3 AM,” Luke said. “Obviously it was a night I’d never forget I couldn’t go back to sleep.”
“He said ‘we’re gonna sign you to ONE this week,’ and the rest of this history. I quit my job and I’ve been training full-time since.”
Lessei will fight on December 9th in Bangkok, Thailand, it will be December 8th in the United States. It will be streamed on Amazon Prime Video at 7 p.m. central time.
“It’s the UFC striking sports, the UFC being the pinnacle of MMA,” said Dean. “Muay Thai and kickboxing, the pinnacle is ONE Championship.”
“From my mind I’m obviously picturing a spectacular knockout. I’m always going in with the utmost confidence,” Luke said.
“With this particular fight against Jo Nattawat, who is a ranked contender – his last fight was for the title in ONE Championship – and I’m fighting him for my debut, no matter what this fight is going to raise my stock.”
It may be his biggest professional fight, but just like all his others, he’ll have his biggest supporter in his corner.
“It’s a combination that really can’t be beat when your dad is your corner,” said Luke. “Knowing that your dad is right over there watching you, he can see other things that other people can’t see. He knows you like other people don’t know you it’s the biggest advantage you can have in combat sports your father and your corner.”
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