"How did he eat those shots?" - 'Smokin' Jo Nattawut shows otherwordly toughness in three-round masterclass vs Luke Lessei
There's word on the street that 'Smokin' Jo Nattawut has always had one of the best chins in Muay Thai. Fortunately for the fans, there's real evidence backing that up.
On December 8, 2023, Jo Nattawut and promotional newcomer Luke Lessei collided inside the iconic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, to give fans exactly what they paid for.
Both men didn't hold anything back and were only interested in finding the knockout in any way, shape, or form. Throughout the course of their three-round battle, it soon became obvious that they were willing to take the hits as long as they landed some of their own.
Nattawut delivered some of the most powerful striking combinations we've ever seen from him without stopping. He brutalized Lessei with shots to the body, legs, and head to hurt the American and slow him down as fast as he could.
But 'The Chef' never backed down, causing real damage in close range with his long limbs and sharp elbows. In the third round, both men were tired to the point of exhaustion, but they never stopped moving forward.
Nattawut got wobbled a few times, taking bombs from Lessei, but he kept up with his defense and head movement to the end.
With all of that said, it was a tense match, but Nattawut secured the well-deserved victory by unanimous decision.
Watch the full fight replay below:
Jo Nattawut returns to Thailand to battle Superbon in their Muay Thai brawl on September 27 at ONE Friday Fights 81, which airs live in Asian primetime via watch.onefc.com.
Jo Nattawut plans to finish his career with the featherweight Muay Thai strap added to his collection
Evey fan of ONE Championship knows that Jo Nattawut is deserving of a world title. The question that we want to see answered is whether he can successfully dethrone Tawanchai PK Saenchai in front of his home crowd in Atlanta on November 8.
With time running out, Nattawut hopes he doesn't strike out again. He expects to dethrone Tawanchai in their third encounter for the ONE featherweight Muay Thai strap.
Speaking to ONE, the 35-year-old veteran said:
"The World Title would mean my work has been successful. I'm at the end of my career."
Tickets for ONE 169: Atlanta are available via Ticketmaster.