“Smokin” Jo Nattawut has a main event date set for Friday, Jun. 7. The Thai star will get a shot at redemption against Tawanchai PK Saenchai in the ONE 167 headliner, and a win will see him claim the ONE Featherweight Muay Thai Championship.
Competing in U.S. primetime on Prime Video also adds to the stakes for Nattawut, who lives in Georgia and sees a bright future for Muay Thai stateside.
“Everybody who is watching the [striking] fights in ONE. They love it. If it’s my fight, everybody enjoys it and likes my style, so that’s going to help a lot [to grow the sport],” Nattawut told ONE.
“Muay Thai is growing here in Atlanta. It keeps growing every single month. Obviously, because of ONE Championship. It’s making it bigger. Everybody watches it, and then they train Muay Thai even more.”
“Thinking about Muay Thai, overall, in the next 10 years, it can be as big as [MMA] or even bigger because it’s so exciting and people love watching it. I think if ONE keeps going like this for the next five to ten years, we can reach the highest level.”
“Smokin” Jo has seen first-hand how Muay Thai has exploded in popularity in the U.S. over the years. Residing in Atlanta, he also believes there is an opportunity to give prospective martial artists authentic Muay Thai training.
“Atlanta is home. I live here. I have all my friends, my work, everything is here. This is home for me, so it’s easier for me to open a gym here,” the Thai star remarked.
“You have to build a good foundation, right? The whole system. If I own the gym, I already have an idea to create a full system. Everybody follows the system and the way we teach authentic Muay Thai.”
Atlanta will host ONE 170 later this year, and the featherweight contender believes that could light a fire for the striking arts in his adopted hometown.
Fans getting a chance to see the sport in the flesh could be a game changer, and Nattawut expects the audience inside the State Farm Arena to leave in a fervor.
“It’s going to make a huge impact, people getting to see it live. Of course, if it gets more views, more people will know about Muay Thai. Of course, then Muay Thai will keep growing,” he said.
“The future, the dream for everyone, is for it to be as big as boxing, as big as [MMA]. If we keep going like this, it’s going to get there.”
Win or lose at ONE 167, “Smokin” Jo would love to appear at ONE 170. Now established in Atlanta, he’d like to show friends what he can do up close and personal
“It would be fun to compete at the Atlanta event. It’s really for my friends here, too. They would get to watch me live at least one time. I’ve lived here for 10 years but never had a chance to fight at home,” Nattawut said.
ONE 167 airs live on Friday, Jun. 7, at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT. The event is free on Prime Video for all Amazon Prime subscribers based in the U.S. and Canada.