Smilla Sundell may have lost the ONE women’s strawweight Muay Thai championship on the scales before ONE Fight Night 22, but she still got her hand raised on fight night.
It didn’t come without some adversity, however. The Swedish teen’s opponent, Natalia Diachkova, rattled her early in the first round. But that attack ultimately wasn’t enough to keep Sundell at bay, and she responded in the second round with a damaging body blow to set up a TKO finish before the end of the frame.
After tasting the power of Diachkova, “The Hurricane” elevated the Russian to the top of her list of difficult foes.
“Yeah, it’s one of my biggest challenges. All my opponents are very tough, and very different. So it’s hard to say which one’s the best of them. But yes, she got me good in the first round. So yeah, she’s definitely at the top,” Sundell told ONE.
The emotions of losing her title played into the matchup both positively and negatively for the 19-year-old.
Sundell stormed out at the sound of the opening bell but was erratic with her offense. After getting stung by Diachkova, she rallied back, knowing her coaches, friends, and fans all supported her throughout the difficult week.
“I’ve been very sad [to lose the belt]. But I’ve had many people online, on social media [who have] been supporting me. And it meant a lot to me. It kept me going today. She got me good in the first round, so I knew I couldn’t stop there, because I had my family around me, and I wanted to show them that I’m still the best,” she recalled.
After the match, “The Hurricane” expressed her desire to reclaim the gold around, and she pushed for a new division to be created in ONE Championship, given that the strawweight limit may continue to be difficult to hit.
That said, Sundell made it clear that she is up for the challenge if it is all that is available.
“It doesn’t matter who I fight. I just love fighting. So yeah, anyone who steps into the ring with me. I really want my belt back. Yeah, that’s what I want. I need maybe at least two months’ notice. I just need a longer time to prepare. But I will get it back. I also want another weight division,” Sundell said.