ONE featherweight Muay Thai contender Luke Lessei of the United States walked away from ONE Fight Night 45 with his hand raised, but the perfectionist inside him is still chasing something sharper.

“The Chef” outpointed “The Eagle” Mohamed Younes Rabah of Algeria via unanimous decision in the featherweight Muay Thai main event on Friday at Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok.

Lessei took full control as the fight wore on and badly rocked the Algerian with a thunderous hook in the third round.

Rabah survived, and all three judges ultimately sided with Lessei. Still, the 30-year-old cannot shake the feeling that a golden opportunity slipped through his fingers in that very moment.

“There was one shot in the third round, a big hook, and my coach tells me, like, it should have been an eight-count,” he told the promotion after the fight.

“I wish I had gotten that eight-count. I could have smelled blood and went for the kill, chasing the 50K bonus.”

Still, the Iowa native is thrilled to be back in the win column, adding:

“But it is what it is. I’m happy with the shots that I landed. I can always improve. I can always do better, and I think I could push the pace even more.”

Luke Lessei reveals his shortlist of next opponents

With the win pushing him back into featherweight Muay Thai world title contention, Luke Lessei already has a shortlist of names he wants next.

He would like to run it back with foes who beat him in the past, and will even welcome a kickboxing transition.

“I just heard [Shadow] has a broken jaw right now, so I’m not sure how soon he’ll be back, but all three of the names, Bambi, Nico, Shadow, whoever,” he told ONE Championship.

“The Chef” continued:

“I’ve always been interested in putting the big gloves back on, doing kickboxing, since there’s no big-glove Muay Thai. But, yeah, I love banging in whatever style it is for striking.”

ONE Fight Night 45 is available on demand for Prime Video subscribers in the United States and Canada.