Nattawut Somkhun, ( Thai: ณัฐวุฒิ โสมกูล; born October 7, 1989), also known as Jo Nattawut and Smokin' Jo, is a Thai

Muay Thai Muay Thai or Muaythai (, , ), sometimes referred to as Thai boxing, the Art of Eight Limbs or the Science of Eight Limbs, is a Thai martial art and full-contact combat sport that uses stand-up striking, sweeps, and various clinch fighting, cl ...

kickboxer Kickboxing ( ) is a full-contact hybrid martial art and boxing type based on punching and kicking. Kickboxing originated in the 1950s to 1970s. The fight takes place in a boxing ring, normally with boxing gloves, mouth guards, shorts, and ...

. He is a 5-time Lion Fight super welterweight champion and 1-time Lion Fight middleweight champion. He currently competes in

ONE Championship ONE Championship, formerly ONE Fighting Championship (ONE FC) until January 2015, is a Multinational corporation, multinational combat sports Promoter (entertainment), promotion founded on 14 July 2011 by Chatri Sityodtong and Victor Cui. Origi ...

for ONE Super Series. As of December 20, 2023, he is 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 (, ) is the capital of Nakhon Ratchasima province, the largest city in Isan, Northeastern Thailand and the List of municipalities in Thailand#Largest cities by urban population, third-largest city in Thailand. It is 250 km (1 ...

in the Northeastern

Isan Northeast Thailand or Isan (Isan language, Isan/, ; ; also written as Isaan, Isarn, Issarn, Issan, Esan, or Esarn; from Pāli ''isāna'' or Sanskrit ईशान्य ''īśānya'' "northeast") consists of 20 provinces in northeastern Thai ...

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 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.

Lion Fight

In the United States, Jo fought for Lion Fight, 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. 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 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 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 (; born December 10, 1985) is an Armenian-Italian kickboxer who competes in the middleweight division. Nicknamed "The Doctor", he is noted for supreme technical skills, ringsmanship, and defensive prowess which has se ...

. 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 Muay Thai kickboxer and Mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist. He is the former ISKA, List of WBC Muaythai world champions#Super middleweight, WBC Muaythai Interim Super Middleweight champion an ...

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 Yodthanong Photirat (; born born, July 1, 1985), known professionally as Yodsanklai Fairtex (), is a Thai former professional Muay Thai fighter and kickboxer. He is a former WBC Muay Thai World Super welterweight champion at 154 lbs, and a ...

, and Dzhabar Askerov. His opponent for the Quarter-Finals was Sasha Moisa, a Ukrainian fighter who also competes in

Lethwei Lethwei (; International Phonetic Alphabet, IPA: ) or Burmese boxing is a Full contact fighting, full contact combat sport originating from Myanmar and is considered as one of the most brutal martial arts in the world.} * * * * * * Lethwe ...

in the

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

(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 (; born 29 May 1991) is an Armenian- Belgian kickboxer currently signed to ONE Championship, where he competes in the featherweight division. Grigorian previously competed for Glory. He is a former Glory Lightweight Champion. He ...

tested positive for

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

, Nattawut was rebooked to face Chingiz Allazov in the Grand Prix semifinals. Nattawut lost by first-round knockout.

Post Grand Prix

Nattawut faced Jamal Yusupov under Muay Thai rules at ONE 159 on July 22, 2022. He lost by unanimous decision. Nattawut faced Tawanchai P.K.Saenchai, replacing

Superbon Singha Mawynn Suppachai Muensang (; born August 16, 1990), known professionally as Superbon Singha Mawynn (), is a Thai professional Muay Thai fighter and kickboxer. He is currently signed to ONE Championship, where he is the current ONE Featherweight Kickbo ...

on October 7, 2023, at

ONE Fight Night 15 ''ONE Fight Night 15: Le vs. Freymanov'' was a combat sport event produced by ONE Championship that took place on October 7, 2023, at Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand. Background A ONE Featherweight Muay Thai World Championship b ...

. He lost the fight via unanimous decision. Nattawut was scheduled to face Niclas Larsen on December 9, 2023, at ONE Fight Night 17. However, Larsen withdrew from the bout due to injury and was replaced by promotional newcomer Luke Lessei. He won the fight via unanimous decision. Nattawut faced Tawanchai P.K.Saenchai in a rematch, for the ONE Featherweight Muay Thai World Championship on June 7, 2024, at ONE 167. He lost the fight via majority decision. Nattawut faced

on September 27, 2024, at ONE Friday Fights 81. He lost the fight by a first-round knockout. The trilogy bout between Nattawut and Tawanchai was scheduled on November 8, 2024, at ONE 169. However, the bout was removed from the event due to Nattawut injury after losing via knockout against Superbon at ONE Friday Fights 81. Nattawut faced Bampara Kouyate on January 14, 2025, at

ONE 170 ''ONE 170: Tawanchai vs. Superbon 2'' was a combat sports event produced by ONE Championship that took place on January 24, 2025, at the Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand. Background The event marked the promotion's 18th held in Impact Arena ...

. He lost the fight via first round technical knockout.

Titles and accomplishments

**2024: Ranked #5 Fight of the Year * Lion Fight ** 2016 Lion Fight Middleweight Champion ** 2015 Lion Fight Super Welterweight Champion *** Five successful defenses

Fight record

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, ,

Bangkok, Thailand 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 estim ...

, , TKO (3 Knockdowns), , 1 , , 2:36 , - style="background:#fbb;" , 2024-09-27, , Loss, , align=left,

, , ONE Friday Fights 81 , ,

, , KO (Elbow) , , 1 , , 1:43 , - style="background:#fbb;" , 2024-06-08 , , Loss , , align=left, Tawanchai P.K. Saenchaimuaythaigym , , ONE 167 , ,

, , Decision (Majority), , 5 , , 3:00 , - ! style=background:white colspan=9 , , - style="background:#cfc;" , 2023-12-09 , , Win , , align=left, Luke Lessei , , ONE Fight Night 17 , ,

, , Decision (Unanimous) , , 3 , , 3:00 , - style="background:#fbb;" , 2023-10-07 , , Loss , , align=left, Tawanchai P.K. Saenchaimuaythaigym , ,

, ,

, , Decision (Unanimous), , 3 , , 3:00 , - style="background:#FFBBBB;" , 2022-07-22 , , Loss , , align=left, Jamal Yusupov , , ONE 159 , ,

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Singapore Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...

, , 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 estim ...

Thailand Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...

, , KO (Left Straight) , , 1 , , 2:44 , - ! style=background:white colspan=9 , , - style="background:#cfc;" , 2019-05-17 , , Win , , align="left" , Sasha Moisa , , , 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 Kuala Lumpur (KL), officially the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur, is the capital city and a Federal Territories of Malaysia, federal territory of Malaysia. It is the largest city in the country, covering an area of with a census population ...

Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...

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

, , ONE Championship: Heroes of Honor , ,

Manila, Philippines Manila, officially the City of Manila, is the capital and second-most populous city of the Philippines after Quezon City, with a population of 1,846,513 people in 2020. Located on the eastern shore of Manila Bay on the island of Luzon, it is ...

, , Decision , , 3 , , 3:00 , - , - style="background:#CCFFCC;" , 2017-07-28, , Win , , align=left, Petchtanong Banchamek , , Lion Fight 37 , , Ledyard,

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, , 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 an inland province in Central China. Located in the middle reaches of the Yangtze watershed, it borders the province-level divisions of Hubei to the north, Jiangxi to the east, Guangdong and Guangxi to the south, and Guizhou and Chon ...

, , Decision , , 3 , , 3:00 , - style="background:#CCFFCC;" , 2016-11-18, , Win , , align=left,

Hasan Toy Hasan Toy (born April 18, 1994) is a Dutch-Turkish kickboxer, currently competing in the middleweight division of K-1. He is the former K-1 Middleweight Champion and the 2023 K-1 World Middleweight Grand Prix winner. Kickboxing career Wu Lin ...

, , Lion Fight 33 , ,

, , Decision (Unanimous) , , 5 , , 3:00 , - ! style=background:white colspan=9 , , - , - style="background:#CCFFCC;" , 2016-10-21, , Win , , align=left, Malaipet Sasiprapa , , Lion Fight 32 , ,

Las Vegas Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...

, , 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 is a prefecture-level city in the province of Guangdong, China. A Special economic zones of China, special economic zone, it is located on the east bank of the Pearl River (China), Pearl River estuary on the central coast of Guangdong ...

, , 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 Muay Thai World Champion and current ONE Lightweight Kickboxing World Champion. Regian Eersel is one ...

, , Lion Fight 29 , ,

, , KO (Right high kick) , , 5 , , , - , - style="background:#CCFFCC;" , 2016-02-26, , Win , , align=left, Cedric Manhoef , , 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, Cosmo Alexandre , , 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 country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

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

References

External links

ONE Championship Profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nattawut, Jo 1989 births Welterweight kickboxers Middleweight kickboxers Jo Nattawut Thai expatriates in the United States Thai expatriate sportspeople in the United States Living people ONE Championship kickboxers Jo Nattawut Jo Nattawut