"If you want to push yourself, you have to find something inside yourself" -  Joseph Lasiri not motivated by money, forgot about $50k performance bonus

Joseph Lasiri accomplished his life dream at ONE 157 when he captured the title from Prajanchai P.K.Saenchaimuaythaigym. He also went home $50,000 wealthier having won a performance bonus.

However, it turns out he actually forgot about the prospect of earning extra cash. Speaking to Tim Wheaton on Kickin' It, the champion said:

"After one hour I say, 'Oh guys, we win the bonus.' We forget about the bonus... Five seconds later I forgot about the bonus. I come back [to] the hotel, we were we were celebrating... We start to eat about one o'clock in the night because the emotion was too big. And then my teammate tells me, 'Joseph, you remember you win $50,000 dollars of bonus.' I say, 'Ohh.'"

Joseph Lasiri went on to explain that he forgot because the moment was so big for him and he does not compete for the money. Prestige, glory, and honor are why he competes in martial arts.

For him, money can't motivate him more than he already motivates himself. He said:

"If you want to push yourself, you have to find something inside yourself, not something outside."

Check out the full interview with Joseph Lasiri below:

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Joseph Lasiri lived abroad to support his family

Lasiri's family did not come from money. They were hard-working Moroccans who moved to Italy. During the financial crisis, the ONE star was forced to pick up work in a foreign nation to ensure his family was supported.

He put his martial arts dreams on hold to work in a pizza shop in London, England. Joseph Lasiri said that he struggled there with the language barrier and lonlieness. However, this experience helped make him strong.

Speaking to ONE in an interview, 'The Hurricane' Lasiri said:

"Living and working abroad is not easy at all. You are confronted with many uncomfortable experiences, such as being lonely, isolated and facing language barriers. For this reason, this experience was not perfect, but I learned much more to overcome adversity and stand back up every time I failed. Facing your fears is an opportunity to start from scratch and get stronger than before."

This experience helped Lasiri become stronger as an individual, and now, he's accomplished his life dream of becoming a Muay Thai world champion. The Italian striker will likely defend his title later this year.