'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
At ONE Fight Night 22 on May 3, ONE strawweight Muay Thai world champion Smilla Sundell will defend her belt against the streaking Russian striker Natalia Diachkova. 'Karelian Lynx', as Diachkova's fans would call her, is on a five-fight winning streak with four straight in ONE Championship.
Speaking to ONE Championship, 'The Hurricane' addressed the threat of having a fighter on a winning streak challenger for her throne:
“I like stopping people’s streaks. But I think I want this more than her, and that’s why I’ll come out on top.”
Sundell does have a penchant for stopping streaks. In her world title-winning performance, the towering Swede snapped Jackie Buntan's winning streak, which was intact for nearly four years at the time.
Let's see if she can also snap Diachkova's red-hot winning streak at ONE Fight Night 22.
Smilla Sundell studied Natalia Diachkova's game, finds her boxing strong
Speaking further on what she thinks of her upcoming challenger, Smilla Sundell gave a detailed assessment of Diachkova's strengths:
“I watched all her Friday Fights. Very quick finishes in most of them, so it’s very hard to say how it will be if it goes longer than one round. But yeah, she’s strong and has good boxing.”
A true champion isn't just the one with the strongest punch, the toughest chin, or the cleanest technique. It is, most importantly, the one with the best game plan. Formulating an effective game plan requires a keen observation of your opponent's strengths and weaknesses.
Going in all confident with your weapons is not enough. You have to understand the threats and which path leads to a sound victory. It seems Smilla Sundell and her team are doing their homework well ahead of ONE Fight Night 22.
ONE Fight Night 22 airs live on US Primetime free of charge for existing Prime Video subscribers in North America.
