Jo Nattawut (born October 7, 1989), also known as Smokin' Jo, is a Thai

Muay Thai Muay Thai ( th, มวยไทย, , ), sometimes referred to as Thai boxing, is a combat sport that uses stand-up striking along with various clinching techniques. This discipline is known as the "art of eight limbs", as it is characterised ...

kickboxer Kickboxing is a combat sport focused on kicking and punching. The combat takes place in a boxing ring, normally with boxing gloves, mouthguards, shorts, and bare feet to favour the use of kicks. Kickboxing is practiced for self-defense, general ...

. He is a 5-time Lion Fight super welterweight champion and 1-time Lion Fight middleweight champion, as well as the former WMC Super Lightweight champion. He currently competes in

ONE Championship ONE Championship (formerly ONE Fighting Championship) is a Singaporean combat sports promotion. Founded on 14 July 2011 by entrepreneur Chatri Sityodtong and former ESPN Star Sports senior executive Victor Cui, its events have featured mixed ...

for ONE Super Series. Jo Nattawut is currently ranked #3 in the ONE Featherweight Muay Thai rankings.

Biography

Early years

Jo Nattawut (real name Nattawut Somkhun) was born in

Nakhon Ratchasima Nakhon Ratchasima ( th, นครราชสีมา, ) is one of the four major cities of Isan, Thailand, known as the "big four of Isan". The city is commonly known as Korat (, ), a shortened form of its name. It is the governmental seat of ...

in the Northeastern

Isan Northeast Thailand or Isan (Isan/ th, อีสาน, ; lo, ອີສານ; also written as Isaan, Isarn, Issarn, Issan, Esan, or Esarn; from Pali ''īsānna'' or Sanskrit ईशान्य ''īśānya'' "northeast") consists of 20 provin ...

region of Thailand. Jo grew up playing football at school and spent his weekends working on local rice farms.

Early career

Jo first discovered Muay Thai at 10 years old, when he saw his football coach hitting a heavy bag. Jo asked to join, starting to train Muay Thai after football practice. He took his first fight at the age of 10 with 12 hours notice. Eventually, he decided to join a Muay Thai camp near his house and continue training in his free time. When he was 18 years old, Jo moved to Bangkok to join a gym and get serious about Muay Thai. After a year and a half of no success in Muay Thai, Jo gave up Muay Thai and moved to

Ko Pha-ngan Ko Pha-ngan ( th, เกาะพะงัน, , ) is an island in the Gulf of Thailand in Surat Thani Province of southern Thailand. Ko Pha-ngan is best known for its Full Moon Party at Hat Rin, Hat Rin Beach. Ko Pha-ngan has two sister isla ...

island. During the day, he worked at a restaurant, hotel, and fitness gym, and at night he sold whiskey on the beach for tourist parties. Jo also organized Muay Thai showcases for tourists and occasionally put himself on the card to fight.

Move to the United States and career resurgence

Jo moved to the United States in early 2013. He first lived in Colorado, where he fell in love with snowboarding. He moved to Atlanta, Georgia in late 2013, where he taught kickboxing and Muay Thai classes. In the United States, Jo fought for

Lion Fight Lion Fight also known as Lion Fight Promotions is an American professional Muay Thai promotion firm based in Las Vegas, Nevada. The company was established in 2010 by Scott Kent, a former casino executive. Lion Fight is currently available on UF ...

, an American Muay Thai organization based in Las Vegas. Nattawut's first fight was with one week's notice, at Lion Fight 17 against

Cosmo Alexandre Cosmo Alexandre Moreira da Rocha (born 24 April 1982 in São Vicente, São Paulo) is a Brazilian professional kickboxer, boxer, and mixed martial artist. He is a former It's Showtime 77MAX World Champion, WMC Intercontinental and WPMF World Ch ...

. Jo won by split decision. Nattawut's next fight was infamously taken on 24 hours notice against Sean Kearney at Lion Fight 19. He ended up winning the fight by unanimous decision. At Lion Fight 22, Jo Nattawut defeated Salah Khalifa to win the Lion Fight Super Welterweight Championship. He would go on to successfully defend the super welterweight title 5 times: Charlie Peters at Lion Fight 24,

Cedric Manhoef Cedric Manhoef (born 19 April 1993) is a Surinamese professional kickboxer and K-1 and SUPERKOMBAT fighter, where he held the SUPERKOMBAT New Heroes Middleweight Championship. He is trained by his older cousin Melvin Manhoef who inspired him to ...

at Lion Fight 28, Hasan Toy at Lion Fight 33, Kengsiam Nor Sripueng at Lion Fight 35, and Petchtanong Banchamek at Lion Fight 37. He also defeated fellow Thai expatriate fighter

Malaipet Sasiprapa Malaipet (''born as Mongkhon Wiwasuk'' on December 21, 1981) is a Thai professional Muay Thai fighter, kickboxer and former mixed martial artist. He is a former Rajadamnern Stadium Champion who currently resides in Fresno, California. In MMA, M ...

at Lion Fight 32 to win the Lion Fight Middleweight Championship.

ONE Championship

After winning multiple Muay Thai titles at the Lion Fight tournaments in the United States, including the Lion Fight Super Welterweight and Lion Fight Middleweight Titles, Nattawut signed a contract with ONE Championship. He made his ONE debut on April 20, 2018 at ONE Championship: Heroes of Honor in Manila, facing legendary kickboxer

Giorgio Petrosyan Gevorg "Giorgio" Petrosyan ( hy, Գևորգ Պետրոսյան; born December 10, 1985) is an Armenian-Italian kickboxer who competes in the middleweight division. Nicknamed "The Doctor" and noted for his supreme technical skills, ringsmanship ...

. He lost to Petrosyan by unanimous decision. His next fight was against Yohann Drai at ONE Championship: Pursuit of Power in Kuala Lumpur on July 13, 2018. Nattawut would knock out Drai in the first round, giving him his first win in ONE Championship. On November 9, 2018, he faced George Mann of Scotland at ONE Championship: Heart of the Lion in Singapore, where he won by unanimous decision. On February 16, 2019, Jo Nattawut would return to fight in Thailand for the first time since moving to the United States at ONE Championship: Clash of Legends in Bangkok. His opponent at the event was

Samy Sana Samy Sana (born 10 December 1988) is an Algerian-French Muay Thai kickboxer and Mixed martial artist. He is the former WBC Muaythai Interim Super Middleweight champion and fought in ONE Championship. In August 2020, he was ranked the #7 lightwe ...

of France, whom he defeated by unanimous decision.

2019 ONE Kickboxing Featherweight World Grand Prix

Jo Nattawut was selected to compete in the ONE Super Series Kickboxing Featherweight World Grand Prix, which included

Yodsanklai Fairtex Yodsanklai Fairtex a.k.a. Yod ( Thai: ยอดแสนไกล แฟร์เท็กซ์; born, July 1, 1985) is a retired Thai Muay Thai kickboxer. He is a former WBC Muay Thai World Super welterweight champion at 154 lbs, and a ...

, and

Dzhabar Askerov Dzhabar Askerov ( lez, Аскеров Жаббар Мегьамедан хва) (russian: Джабар Аскеров; born January 24, 1986) is a Russian Welterweight kickboxer fighting out of Melbourne, Australia and representing Russia. He is ...

. His opponent for the Quarter-Finals was

Sasha Moisa Sasha Moisa (Ukrainian: Саша Мойса; born September 10, 1994) is a Ukrainian Muay Thai and Lethwei fighter currently signed to ONE Championship and World Lethwei Championship. He is the current WMC Super welterweight World Champion in Mu ...

, a Ukrainian fighter who also competes in

Lethwei Lethwei ( my, လက်ဝှေ့; IPA: ) or Burmese boxing, is a full contact combat sport from Myanmar that uses stand-up striking including headbutts. Lethwei is considered to be one of the most brutal martial arts in the world, * * * a ...

in the

World Lethwei Championship World Lethwei Championship (also known as WLC) is a Lethwei promotion based in Yangon, Myanmar. The promotion brought to the millennia-old Burmese martial of Lethwei to UFC Fight Pass and showcased it to the world. The WLC events combined the his ...

(itself a partner of ONE Championship). In the Grand Prix Quarter-Finals at ONE Championship: Enter the Dragon in Singapore, he defeated Sasha Moisa via TKO, knocking down the Ukrainian 3 times in the third round, securing a win and advancing to the Grand Prix Semi-Finals. In the Kickboxing Featherweight Grand Prix Semi-Finals, he was set to face Giorgio Petrosyan a second time at ONE Championship: Dreams of Gold in Bangkok. However, in his rematch with Petrosyan, Nattawut lost by knockout in the first round, getting eliminated from the Kickboxing Featherweight World Grand Prix. Jo currently trains at his own gym, United Training Center, located in Atlanta, Georgia.

2021 ONE Kickboxing Featherweight World Grand Prix

After two years away, Jo Nattawut is scheduled to make his return against Yurik Davtyan in an alternate bout for the 2021 ONE Kickboxing Featherweight Grand Prix at ONE Championship: First Strike on October 15, 2021. However, the fight was removed from the card for undisclosed reasons. Nattawut's fight with Davtyan was eventually rescheduled for ONE Championship: NextGen II on November 12, 2021. Nattawut won by knockout in the first round. He was originally set to face fellow Grand Prix alternate Dovydas Rimkus at ONE: Only the Brave on January 28, 2022. However, after Grand Prix semifinalist

Marat Grigorian Marat Grigorian ( hy, Մարատ Գրիգորյան; born 29 May 1991) is an Armenian-Belgian kickboxer currently signed to ONE Championship, where he competes in the featherweight division. Grigorian has previously competed for Glory and is a ...

tested positive for

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...

, Nattawut was rebooked to face

Chingiz Allazov Chingiz Ayazovich Allazov ( be, Чынгiз Аяз аглы Аллазаў, born 10 June 1993) is a Georgian-born Belarusian kickboxer of Azerbaijani descent, currently signed with ONE Championship. He is a former K-1 Super Welterweight Champio ...

in the Grand Prix semifinals. Nattawut lost by first-round knockout.

Return to Muay Thai

Nattawut was scheduled to face Jamal Yusupov under Muay Thai rules at

ONE 159 ''ONE 159: de Ridder vs. Bigdash'' was a Combat sport event produced by ONE Championship that took place on July 22, 2022, at the Singapore Indoor Stadium in Kallang, Singapore. Background A ONE Championship#Current champions, ONE Middleweight W ...

on July 22, 2022. He lost by unanimous decision.

Titles and accomplishments

World Muaythai Council The World Muaythai Council (WMC) is one of the oldest and the largest professional sanctioning organizations of Muaythai in the world for the sport. The organization was set up in 1995 by parliament resolution, and is incorporated by the Royal T ...

**WMC World Super Lightweight Championship *

** 2016 Lion Fight Middleweight Champion ** 2015 Lion Fight Super Welterweight Champion (5 defenses) * World Professional Muaythai Federation ** 2009 WPMF World 140 lbs. Champion

Fight record

, - style="background:#FFBBBB;" , 2022-07-22 , , Loss , , align=left, Jamal Yusupov , ,

, ,

Kallang Kallang is a planning area and residential town located in the Central Region of Singapore. Development of the town is centered around the Kallang River, the longest river in Singapore. Kallang Planning Area is bounded by Toa Payoh in the no ...

, Singapore , , Decision (Unanimous) , , 3 , , 3:00 , - , - style="background:#FFBBBB;" , 2022-01-28, , Loss , , align=left,

, , ONE: Only the Brave , ,

Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...

, , KO (Left Hook) , , 1 , , 1:55 , - ! style=background:white colspan=9 , , - , - style="background:#cfc;" , 2021-11-12, , Win , , align=left, Yurik Davtyan , , ONE Championship: NextGen II , ,

, , KO (Right Cross) , , 1 , , 2:50 , - style="background:#FFBBBB;" , 2019-08-16 , , Loss, , align="left" ,

, , ONE Championship: Dreams of Gold , ,

Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in Thai language, Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estima ...

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...

, , KO (Left Straight) , , 1 , , 2:44 , - ! style=background:white colspan=9 , , - style="background:#cfc;" , 2019-05-17 , , Win , , align="left" ,

, , , ONE Championship: Enter the Dragon , ,

, , TKO (3 Knockdown Rule) , , 3 , , 1:24 , - ! style=background:white colspan=9 , , - style="background:#CCFFCC;" , 2019-02-16, , Win , , align=left,

, , ONE Championship: Clash of Legends , ,

, , Decision (Unanimous), , 3 , , 3:00 , - , - style="background:#cfc;" , 2018-11-09 , , Win , , align=left, George Mann , , ONE Championship: Heart of the Lion , ,

, , Decision (Unanimous) , , 3 , , 3:00 , - , - bgcolor="#CCFFCC" , 2018-07-13 , , Win , , align=left, Yohann Drai , , ONE Championship: Pursuit of Power , ,

Kuala Lumpur , anthem = '' Maju dan Sejahtera'' , image_map = , map_caption = , pushpin_map = Malaysia#Southeast Asia#Asia , pushpin_map_caption = , coordinates = , su ...

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...

, , KO (Punches), , 1 , , 2:59 , - , - style="background:#FFBBBB;" , 2018-04-20 , , Loss , , align=left,

, , ONE Championship: Heroes of Honor , ,

Manila, Philippines Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populated ...

, , Decision , , 3 , , 3:00 , - , - style="background:#CCFFCC;" , 2017-07-28, , Win , , align=left,

Petchtanong Banchamek Petchtanong Petchfergus ( th, เพชรทนง เพชรเฟอร์กัส; born November 6, 1985) is a Thai Muay Thai kickboxer fighting out of Bangkok. He is currently signed to ONE Championship, where he is the reigning ONE Ban ...

, , Lion Fight 37 , , Ledyard,

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

, , Decision (Unanimous), , 5 , , 3:00 , - ! style=background:white colspan=9 , , - , - style="background:#CCFFCC;" , 2017-03-03, , Win , , align=left, Kengsiam Nor Sripueng , , Lion Fight 35 , , Ledyard,

, , KO (Knees to the leg) , , 3 , , 2:40 , - ! style=background:white colspan=9 , , - , - style="background:#CCFFCC;" , 2017-01-13, , Win , , align=left, Yan Zhao , , Superstar Fight 7 , ,

Hunan, China Hunan (, ; ) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China, part of the South Central China region. Located in the middle reaches of the Yangtze watershed, it borders the province-level divisions of Hubei to the north, Jiangxi t ...

, , Decision , , 3 , , 3:00 , - style="background:#CCFFCC;" , 2016-11-18, , Win , , align=left, Hasan Toy , , Lion Fight 33 , ,

, , Decision (Unanimous) , , 5 , , 3:00 , - ! style=background:white colspan=9 , , - , - style="background:#CCFFCC;" , 2016-10-21, , Win , , align=left,

, , Lion Fight 32 , ,

Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

, , Decision (Unanimous) , , 5 , , 3:00 , - ! style=background:white colspan=9 , , - style="background:#cfc;" , 2016-07-02, , Win, , align=left, Mo Zhuang , , Superstar Fight 4 , ,

Shenzhen, China Shenzhen (; ; ; ), also historically known as Sham Chun, is a major Sub-provincial division, sub-provincial city and one of the Special economic zones of China, special economic zones of China. The city is located on the east bank of the Pea ...

, , KO , , 2 , , , - style="background:#FFBBBB;" , 2016-05-27, , Loss , , align=left,

Regian Eersel Regian Eersel (born 16 December 1992) is a Surinamese-Dutch kickboxer currently signed to ONE Championship. He is the current ONE Lightweight Kickboxing and Muay Thai World Champion. He is ranked as the best welterweight in the world by Combat ...

, , Lion Fight 29 , ,

, , KO (Right high kick) , , 5 , , , - , - style="background:#CCFFCC;" , 2016-02-26, , Win , , align=left,

, , Lion Fight 28 , ,

, , Decision , , 5 , , 3:00 , - ! style=background:white colspan=9 , , - style="background:#CCFFCC;" , 2015-09-25, , Win , , align=left, Charlie Peters, , Lion Fight 24 , , Ledyard,

, , KO (Elbows) , , 3 , , , - ! style=background:white colspan=9 , , - , - style="background:#CCFFCC;" , 2015-05-22, , Win , , align=left, Salah Khalifa , , Lion Fight 22 , ,

, , Decision , , 5 , , 3:00 , - ! style=background:white colspan=9 , , - , - style="background:#CCFFCC;" , 2015-02-20, , Win , , align=left, Richard Abraham , , Lion Fight 20 , ,

, , Decision , , 5 , , 3:00 , - style="background:#CCFFCC;" , 2014-11-21, , Win , , align=left, Sean Kerney , , Lion Fight 19 , , Ledyard,

, , Decision , , 5 , , 3:00 , - style="background:#CCFFCC;" , 2014-08-01, , Win , , align=left,

, , Lion Fight 17 , ,

, , Decision , , 5 , , 3:00 , - style="background:#fbb;" , 2012-03-03, , Loss, , align=left, Toby Smith , , Domination 8 , ,

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

, , Decision , , 5 , , 3:00 , - , colspan=9 , ''Legend'':

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nattawut, Jo 1989 births Welterweight kickboxers Middleweight kickboxers

Jo Nattawut Jo Nattawut (born October 7, 1989), also known as Smokin' Jo, is a Thai Muay Thai kickboxer. He is a 5-time Lion Fight super welterweight champion and 1-time Lion Fight middleweight champion, as well as the former WMC Super Lightweight champion. ...

Thai expatriates in the United States Living people ONE Championship kickboxers