"It was the pinnacle of my career" - Jo Nattawut sees a silver lining from tough 2024 in ONE Championship

2024 was a challenging one for second-ranked featherweight Muay Thai contender 'Smokin' Jo Nattawut. The 35-year-old ran it back against Tawanchai PK Saenchai for his ONE featherweight Muay Thai world title at ONE 167 in June.

While he did give the divisional king a run for his money, with many suggesting 'Smokin' Jo deserved to get his hand raised, the PK Saenchai man eked out a majority decision win.

Then, at ONE Friday Fights 81 in September, misery struck once more. The Thai Top Team martial artist was sent to the shadow realm in under two minutes via a sneaky elbow from the ONE featherweight kickboxing world champion in their Muay Thai contest.

Despite the unfortunate circumstances that saw him close the year without a victory, Jo Nattawut believes those duels were a step forward in his career.

Speaking to ONE Championship, the Atlanta-based martial artist shared:

"Even if I didn't win any fights last year, it was still a very satisfying year for me because I got the chance to fight for gold for the first time. I can say that it was the pinnacle of my career."

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Jo Nattawut hopes to put the past behind in return to action at ONE 170

'Smokin Jo' Nattawut rhas refused to let those defeats take the front seat. After all, both losses came against ONE world champions, who have looked a class above anyone they've met inside the Circle.

He now has his radar locked on snapping his two-match skid when he takes to the global stage in a featherweight Muay Thai duel against French powerhouse Bampara Kouyate.

In the same interview with the promotion, the 35-year-old believes his knockout power will be the difference on fight night, as he shared:

"His advantage is he's taller. However, I think I have more power than him."

ONE 170 will be available to fight fans at watch.onefc.com this Friday, January 24.