‘I Fell In Love With It’ – The Unlikely Journey That Carried Lenny Blasi From Milan To The Global Stage

Almost every Italian boy grows up with a football at his feet and a dream already decided for him. Lenny Blasi took a different road entirely, and it led him somewhere far more extraordinary. 

On Friday, August 28, that journey continues at its most demanding destination yet. Blasi headlines The Inner Circle 28 against surging Thai veteran Worapon Lukjaoporongtom in a bantamweight Muay Thai main event, streaming exclusively for members on live.onefc.com in Asia primetime from Bangkok’s historic Lumpinee Stadium. 

Before the biggest fight of his career, the 22-year-old opened up about his unlikely rise. What follows is the story of a young man who never expected to find Muay Thai, fell for it completely, and is now chasing something far greater than the sport ever promised. 

In Italy, football is not just a sport. It is an ingrained expectation, claiming most children long before they can even ask why. For Blasi, however, the path was never that straightforward.

His parents deliberately resisted the pull of the pitch, gently nudging their young son toward something different. That early redirection, small and unassuming at the time, would quietly alter the entire course of his life.

The Milan native said:

“I started at 8 years old. In Italy, all the kids play football, so I wanted to play football too at the start. But my family, my parents were not big fans of it. They let me try different sports. And when I tried Muay Thai, I fell in love with it, and I started.”

Yet carving out world-class striking skills in Italy was no simple feat, as the local Muay Thai landscape remained largely undeveloped at the time. Fortunately for Blasi, a quaint gym sat practically on his doorstep. 

More than just convenient, the facility was a hidden crucible quietly forging elite fighters like former ONE Strawweight Muay Thai World Champion Joseph “The Hurricane” Lasiri. 

Blasi said:

“I had a great gym like 100 meters from home. And I stayed in that gym for like 11 years. It made great champions like Joseph Lasiri. But Muay Thai is not that big in Italy. Now it’s growing, but when I started it wasn’t that big.”

Inside the ring, Blasi is a relentless force, though that was not always the case. Naturally introverted, he spent years comfortably blending into the background before the sport gave him a reason to stand out. 

The gym ultimately became far more than just a training space. It was the first place he truly felt seen, as coaches and peers recognized his raw potential long before he did. 

He said:

“I’ve always been a shy kid. So when I started to get recognized by people, you know, they started to say like, ‘Oh, this kid is good.’ I started to feel good about myself.”

That early validation planted a seed, fundamentally shifting the teenager’s mindset. Over time, a casual hobby morphed into a relentless calling. There was no sudden epiphany — just a quiet accumulation of small triumphs that gradually convinced him this was his path. 

Blasi said:

“Around 12 or 13 years old, I started to think, maybe that’s what I want to do. I’m good at it, and people seem to notice me when I do Muay Thai. So I kept going, and then it became just my passion, you know.”

To chase that dream, Blasi eventually traded the comforts of Milan for the sweltering training camps of Thailand. While many foreign fighters romanticize the pilgrimage to the sport’s motherland, the Italian’s approach is refreshingly pragmatic.

Moving to Southeast Asia was a deliberate professional decision, driven by a martial artist who knew exactly what he needed and precisely where to find it.

The Fairtex Training Center representative said:

“I love Thailand, and it feels like it’s my second home. But I still feel like I’m here to work, you know. I’m here because I want to fight, I want to become successful. So I feel like I’m here on business.”

When the relentless grind grows overwhelming, Blasi always knows where to find his solace. Home pulls him back completely, offering the stillness and deep comfort that no training camp could ever replicate. 

 Blasi said:

“When I’m off fight camp, I just go back to Italy, usually for a few weeks. I just stay with my family and my friends, my girlfriend, and I enjoy the time at home. I like to eat Italian food. I like to play guitar and chess. Just stay a little bit away from Muay Thai if I can.”

Drawing strength from those roots, Blasi now fights to honor the lineage his childhood hero built. The boy who once trained quietly in the shadow of Lasiri has grown into a legitimate force capable of carrying that same flag. 

Witnessing Lasiri’s hard-fought rise to ONE World Title glory gave Blasi a blueprint long before he fully understood his own ambitions. 

He said:

“Joseph Lasiri was my idol when I was a kid. He became champion later, and he was a great role model for me. He was always training hard, so I learned from him that hard work beats talent every time.”

With Lasiri and undisputed ONE Strawweight Kickboxing World Champion Jonathan Di Bella having already blazed the trail, Italian strikers are firmly conquering the global stage. 

Now that the torch is being passed, Blasi embraces that legacy not as a burden, but as a life-defining purpose. 

Blasi concluded:

“I feel like I have Italy on my shoulder. I don’t want to sound cocky, but I believe I’m the best fighter in Italy now. And I want to bring Italy up with me, so it’s just an honor for me. I don’t feel pressure, honestly. I just feel grateful for that opportunity, and I want to do my best.”

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