On 4 May, ONE Championship, an internationally renowned sports IP, will bring fans "ONE: Summit Series 22." 19-year-old Women's Strawweight Muay Thai World Champion Smilla Sundell will take on 29-year-old Russian fighter Natalia Diachkova in her title defense.
Sundell rose to the rank of Strawweight Muay Thai World Title at 17 years, 5 months and 10 days. At "ONE: Pinnacle Series 14" on 30 September last year, Sandel successfully defended his belt and proved himself "Muay Thai Big Sister" by TKO Atomweight Muay Thai World Champion Allycia Hellen Rodrigues. But she knows that this time she is taller and stronger than Rodriguez, and has a strong finishing ability. Diazikova has also come to ONE Championship with a four-bout winning streak and three first-round (T) knockouts, which shows just how terrifying her striking ability can be.
In an effort to defeat such a top challenger and successfully defend her belt, Sundell recently attended a study event at PK Senchai MMA and met with Featherweight Muay Thai World Champion Tawanchai PK. Saenchai and Women's Atomweight World Champion Stamp Fairtex shared their training tips. "I trained with Tawanchai and had a one-minute restrictive fight with him. He's fast and strong, he doesn't use his full strength in sparring, he's like a cat teasing a mouse. Some of the attacks were too easy for him, so he showed mercy. ”
Sundell has gained a lot from battling a men's top Muay Thai World Champion at a higher level than herself. She also gets a lot of motivation from Stamp. "Stamp has always been a happy girl and trains hard every day. She's still that funny girl, still hungry for victory. "Sandel and Stamp have done a lot of talking about Muay Thai and kickboxing techniques. Stamp became the first girl to win a kickboxing, Muay Thai and mixed martial arts World Title, and Sundell was inspired. "I've learned from Stamp that if you put in the training and the game, you can achieve anything. It's also something I've heard from my parents. But Stamp really did that in the ring. ”
Sundell is also playing kickboxing, and in order to become a "double champion" or even a "triple crown" like Stamp, Sundell will have to defend his Muay Thai World Title belt. Facing a challenger who was ten years older than himself, Sandel analyzed his opponent. "I think all my fights were tough, and it was definitely a tough fight against Diaccikova. In order to defeat her, I have been working everything, including kicks and punches. But I think my most threatening weapon is the fist. I want to be a better version of myself in the game and I'm going to give it my all. ”
Do you think Sandel can successfully defend his title this time?