"I'm very thankful" - Smilla Sundell grateful for support from Angela Lee, Allycia Hellen Rodrigues through difficult fight week

Before stopping Natalia Diachkova in the main event of ONE Fight Night 22 this past weekend inside the legendary Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, Smilla Sundell experienced a rough fight week.

Sundell was stripped of her world title because she was over 1.5 pounds in the weight limit for her scheduled match with Diachkova and was ineligible to capture the 26-pound golden strap even if she got the second-round TKO finish on fight night.

Despite these circumstances, Smilla Sundell was still grateful because of all the backing she received from fellow fighters and fans. She revealed this during her post-fight interview with the South China Morning Post, as he explained:

"It's been very tough. I was very very sad. But everyone reached out to me online, on Instagram, Angela, Allycia, and my last opponent, Milana, and it made me be so thankful that I've got so much support behind me. And I'm very thankful for that."

This latest win by the 19-year-old Swedish phenom was her fifth straight under the world's largest martial arts organization and her third TKO stoppage, which proves that she is still the best strawweight Muay Thai fighter on the planet even without the world title.

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Smilla Sundell gives her props to Natalia Diachkova after their back-and-forth showdown

In the same interview with The Post, Smilla Sundell gave the rightful credit to Diachkova for performing under the bright lights of the world stage and not crumbling under pressure. According to the Fairtex Training Center representative, the Team Mehdi Zatout-affiliated fighter was made for this stage.

Now, Sundell will be looking to recapture her world title in her next fight and is determined to rectify her status as the undisputed strawweight Muay Thai queen.

North American viewers with an active Prime Video subscription can rewatch all the action from ONE Fight Night 22 via the free event replay.