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Jo Nattawut is set to step back inside the circle in the coming weeks for one of the biggest fights of his career to date. Despite the huge co-main event contest that approaches, Nattawut also has big plans on the horizon for the rest of the year.
The Thai striker is currently in preparations to face Tawanchai for the ONE featherweight Muay Thai world championship.
Though his focus is on the Impact Arena showdown right now, 'Smokin' Jo also has one eye on ONE Championship's debut event in Atlanta, ONE 170, which is coming up later this year.
In an interview with ONE Championship, he spoke about wanting to be a part of this card, which currently has no fights announced.
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Having lived in the U.S. over the past decade, getting to fight in front of his other home crowd would be a big moment for him:
"It would be fun to compete at the Atlanta event. It's really for my friends here, too. They would get to watch me live at least one time. I've lived here for 10 years, but never had a chance to fight at home."
Jo Nattawut says it could be a big moment for Muay Thai also with US expansion
There are undoubtedly more eyes around the world on Muay Thai than ever before, but Jo Nattawut believes that there is still a lot more to come.
A potentially big driving force, in his opinion, could be these ONE Championship shows in the U.S., which looks all but set to bring elite-level Muay Thai overseas:
"It's going to make a huge impact, people getting to see it live. Of course, if it gets more views, more people will know about Muay Thai. Of course, then Muay Thai will keep going."
By showing the sport to more people and getting them invested, Jo Nattawut hopes that it can continue to grow until Muay Thai can rival other leading combat sports:
"The future, the dream for everyone, is for it to be as big as boxing, as big as [MMA]. If we keep going like this, it's going to get there."
ONE 167 will air live from the Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand, on June 7.
