At 34 years old, Thai knockout artist “Smokin” Jo Nattawut is primed for the final push of his impressive 83-fight professional career.
On December 8 in U.S. primetime, he will return for an intriguing featherweight Muay Thai clash with American sensation and promotional newcomer Luke “The Chef” Lessei at ONE Fight Night 17 on Prime Video.
While he holds a significant experience advantage over his foe, “Smokin” Jo says he’s preparing for a creative and unpredictable opponent at Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.
The longtime star spoke to onefc.com about what Lessei brings to the table:
“With his style, he likes to play a lot. He’s a tricky guy, plays a lot. Yeah, that’s it. That’s what we see.”
Naturally, Nattawut and his trainers have watched “The Chef’s” fights and broken down his unique style, but the hard-hitting Thai won’t change up his own game plan.
A veteran of 10 electrifying bouts in the world’s largest martial arts organization, “Smokin” Jo’s well-established recipe for success involves keeping his focus squarely on himself – rather than who he’s fighting against:
“When it comes to me, fight camp, I always make sure it’s about me. It’s not about my opponent. I don’t think about my opponent.
I’m thinking about, ‘OK, me, just sharpen my weapons,’ you know? I want to go fast. I want to hit hard. I want to go fast. Make sure you’re on point, and that’s it for me.”
Never one to make specific predictions, the Thai Top Team representative knows one thing for sure – fans can expect fast-paced action from start to finish at ONE Fight Night 17.
He added:
“It’s going to be a fun fight. It’s going to bang.”
‘Smokin’ Jo: ‘My Body Is Still Ready’
After more than a decade of fighting against elite strikers, “Smokin” Jo Nattawut knows he’s at the tail end of his career.
He’ll come into his battle against Luke Lessei on a three-fight skid, most recently suffering a narrow kickboxing loss to ONE Featherweight Muay Thai World Champion Tawanchai PK Saenchai in October at ONE Fight Night 15.
Still, Nattawut says he’s feeling no ill effects and remains in prime condition:
“To me, my body is still ready. It’s still good. So I can see my body is still up there at the top. So after the fight, you know, I didn’t feel pain at all. I just got ready and jumped right into training camp, which is good.”
Currently ranked #4 in the talent-rich featherweight Muay Thai division, “Smokin” Jo has accomplished plenty over the course of his storied career, collecting several prestigious titles along the way.
But one key item is still missing from his trophy case – a ONE World Title.
With that in mind, Nattawut says that challenging for a golden belt would be the perfect way to ride off into the sunset:
“I just turned 34, and I’m at my last gas tank right now. Any fight can be my last fight. So my ultimate goal, the goal is I want to fight – I really want to fight for the title before I retire.
“Because I’m not the guy saying, ‘Oh, I’m gonna fight until 40, until 38.’ No, no, no, no, no, no, no. Me? Maybe like one year, maybe another half year. Who knows?
“And again, this is the last gas tank for me. So fighting for the title would be really nice.”
