“Smokin’” Jo Nattawut has a great opportunity in his upcoming ONE Championship outing, and he isn’t about to let it pass by. The Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand native has one thing on his mind and that is victory against his opponent. Ahead of his clash, Nattawut  sat down with the media to answer some questions about his fight

On Friday, June 7, the Thai striking star will challenge Tawanchai PK Saenchai for the ONE Featherweight Muay Thai World Championship in the main event of ONE 167 inside the Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand.

Jo Nattawut gears up for Tawanchai Battle

“Smokin” Jo Nattawutis #3-ranked in the stacked division, and his first bout with Tawanchai – a kickboxing brawl last October – went right down to the wire, so he believes the rematch next week is coming at the right moment for him.

“I thought I was going to get the fight. I looked at the rankings – they have rankings for a reason, right? So, we all knew it was coming, and also the fans of ONE wanted to see it,” he told ONE in an interview.

He further explained that it would be a perfect fight for him as Tawanchai has been at the top of his career. “And Tawanchai just beat Superbon, too, so it’s a perfect time for the fight to happen.” “Smokin” Jo showed incredible heart against his talented countryman in their last meeting. So much so that many fans waited with bated breath as the judges announced their decision.

Nattawut’s perspective on the clash

It went unanimously to Tawanchai that evening, but Nattawut left with his head held high. Now in the final stages of preparation for the rematch, the Thai Top Team star is looking forward to the switch in rulesets – and he doesn’t mind going for a couple of extra frames for the gold.“Three or five rounds are not much different. Of course, it’s longer. There’s some difference, but not much. It’ll be high-paced for sure, and I can see it going to a decision because of the way things are,” he said.

He further added, “There’s going to be a lot of kicks. A lot of hands exchanged. That’s all I can see, but if it’s anything else, we will have to see in the ring. Things always change. Things always happen in the moment. All I can say is this is going to be a fun fight.”