"He never backs out" - Muay Thai legend Buakaw impressed by Jo Nattawut's heart in Tawanchai redo

Muay Thai icon Buakaw Banchamek has seen and fought the best fighters in the world throughout his illustrious career, and ONE Championship star 'Smokin' Jo Nattawut has earned his praises.

Buakaw spoke glowingly of the No.2-ranked ONE featherweight Muay Thai competitor in a recent video posted on his YouTube channel after Nattawut nearly dethroned ONE featherweight Muay Thai world champion Tawanchai PK Saenchai this past June.

The legendary Thai star stated:

"Jo was actually bringing the fight to Tawanchai. He had a strong advantage in close range attacks. He never backs out."

Watch the full video below:

Their first encounter happened in October 2023 and was held under kickboxing rules. Nattawut stepped in as a short-notice replacement fighter for the then-injured Superbon to fight Tawanchai.

The Thai Top Team product consistently tagged Tawanchai with hard shots, but the 25-year-old adjusted in the later rounds and maximized his reach advantage to eventually win via unanimous decision.

Tawanchai will look to successfully defend the ONE featherweight Muay Thai world championship against Nattawut once again at ONE 169: Atlanta on November 8 inside the State Farm Arena.

Tickets for the stacked show are available via Ticketmaster.

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Jo Nattawut headed for action-packed Muay Thai brawl ahead of ONE 169

Just before Jo Nattawut fights Tawanchai for a third time at ONE 169, he will take on ONE interim featherweight kickboxing world champion Superbon at ONE Friday Fights 81 on September 27 in a featured featherweight Muay Thai bout.

Superbon has won three of his last five outings, with his most recent being a unanimous decision win over longtime rival Marat Grigorian this past April to become the ONE interim featherweight kickboxing king.

ONE Friday Fights 81 will emanate from the legendary Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand. The full card is available live on pay-per-view at watch.onefc.com.