“It’s Going to Be a Fun Fight” – Jo Nattawut Shares How He’s Preparing for Upcoming Bout With Luke Lessei at ONE Fight Night 17

‘Smokin’ Jo Nattawut is looking to solidify his place in ONE Championship’s stacked featherweight Muay Thai division against a dangerous promotional debutant in his next outing, and is preparing every weapon in his arsenal for it.

On Friday, December 8, the #4-ranked contender will battle American striking star Luke Lessei in the penultimate bout of ONE’s first-ever all-Muay Thai card, ONE Fight Night 17: Kryklia vs. Roberts, inside the iconic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.

Nattuwat is focusing on his strengths ahead of Lessei bout

Nattawut has been studying Lessei in order to enter the ring with the strongest game plan possible. In a recent interview with ONE, the Thai star shared his initial thoughts upon watching tape of his upcoming foe. “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,” he explained. ‘

The Chef’ hopes to make an immediate impact in the world’s largest martial arts organization by picking up a win against a seasoned veteran like Nattawut in his first appearance. After dominating in the amateur ranks – including winning the Thai Boxing Association tournament 13 times – Lessei will be out to showcase his talents when he steps into the big leagues on December 8.

‘Smokin’ Jo knows this, but he remains unfazed and shared that he’s more focused on bettering himself instead of worrying about what the debuting star will be bringing with him.“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,” he said.

“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,” the 34-year-old added. And despite him being on a downward slide recently, Nattawut has a decade of experience at the highest level of the sport to count upon against his upcoming opponent.

Nattuwat may need to rely on experience against the much younger debutant

And Nattawut needs to put in the time to sharpen every tool against the 27-year-old Lessei. The Thai will come into their upcoming bout with three losses on a trot, and would be looking to get some good buzz with a win against Lessei. And trying to knock the debutant out will seemingly be a good idea for him.

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After all, he has three finishes in his five wins in ONE, so further development to his knockout power may be the trick to ending his upcoming battle quickly. Otherwise, he may find it increasingly difficult to keep up with the younger newcomer as the fight progresses as the Thai seems to be in the latter half of his career.

But even if he is taken into deep waters by ‘The Chef’, Nattawut will also have a wealth of experience to rely on. With over 80 Muay Thai and kickboxing bouts to his name, the 34-year-old has seen and done it all, and he offered a short prediction on what fans can expect when their intriguing battle gets underway at ONE Fight Night 17.

“It’s going to be a fun fight. It’s going to bang,” Nattawut said simply when asked to make a prediction. Fans in North America can check out the historic ONE Fight Night 17 card live and for free via Prime Video on December 8.

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