“Smokin” Jo Nattawut has showcased his talents on the global stage of ONE Championship for nearly six years, and he believes he’s in the right place.

On U.S. Primetime this Friday, December 8, the Thai veteran is set to welcome Luke Lessei to the promotion in a pivotal featherweight bout at ONE Fight Night 17: Kryklia vs. Roberts, which goes down inside the iconic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand. 

Jo Nattawut and his thoughts on Muay Thai

Ahead of his match, Nattawut offered his thoughts on the growing popularity of Muay Thai in North America. Based in Georgia, he believes the tide has turned for “the art of eight limbs” in his adopted nation, and it may not be long before it reaches the level of more mainstream sports like boxing and mixed martial arts. 

“You know, for real, now, Muay Thai in the US is growing every single day. It’s growing so much. Everything about Muay Thai is growing more. The gym business. All the businesses about Muay Thai because of one thing – some people watch MMA, and sometimes they get bored. Sometimes, they watch boxing; they get bored. But everybody. when they watch Muay Thai, like, man, they love it. 90% of them, right,” Nattawut told Combat Press.

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“You know the history of the UFC. They lose money, lose money, lose money back in the day, right? But they kept pushing, kept pushing. You get some billionaire behind them, then pushed. And Muay Thai, if it keeps going like this nonstop, it’s going to be at the same level as boxing and the UFC.”

ONE Championship has been a key figure in the growth of Muay Thai across the world. The introduction of 4oz gloves into fights has produced exciting battles, and the knockout rate is higher than ever before. 

The organization broadcasts to 190 countries and has put “the art of eight limbs” at the front of many of its events, including ONE Fight Night 17, which will be its first all-Muay Thai card. 

‘Smokin’ Jo feels Muay Thai fighters will have sufficient money in the future

As more people grow to love the sport because of such efforts, Nattawut believes fighters could have lucrative paydays in the future. 

“I believe that in the next 10-20 years, we will see Muay Thai fighters get paid like $40 million for one fight. $50 million for one fight in the next 10 to 20 years. If we keep going like that, I’m sure that’s going to happen, but we have to keep going this way,” he said.

“So we need to keep Muay Thai there for the main event. Always. If it’s good, put Muay Thai in the main event or MMA in the main event in a ONE event card, that’s OK. I just want people to see Muay Thai more. Get more eyes, get more views. Eventually we will get up there really fast. It’s just an exciting sport, and it’s beautiful striking. It’s not sloppy.”

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Recently, it was revealed that ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Champion Rodtang Jitmuangnon is the highest-paid fighter in Muay Thai. The Thai superstar takes the top spot by a wide margin, with him earning US$300,000 per fight. 

If Nattawut’s prediction for the sport is to be believed, “The Iron Man’s” purse will be the norm in the near future. 

Asked why he thinks ONE could make this happen, the 34-year-old had this to say:

 “High-level striking. It’s everything. Just a high-level of striking, world-class striking that people will see in the ONE Championship show.”