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Natalia Diachkova believes she's superior to Smilla Sundell's last opponent, ONE women's atomweight Muay Thai world champion Allycia Hellen Rodrigues.
In September 2023, Sundell looked to defend her ONE women's strawweight Muay Thai world title against Rodrigues.
The Brazilian challenger showcased a valiant effort in her attempt to become a two-division queen, but 'The Hurricane' ultimately emerged victorious by third-round knockout to retain her throne.
On May 3, Sundell returns to action in the ONE Fight Night 22 main event for the first time since defeating Rodrigues. The 19-year-old's upcoming opponent is strawweight Muay Thai title challenger Natalia Diachkova, who secured four wins, including three in round one, after making her promotional debut in April 2023.
During an interview with ONE, Diachkova had this to say when comparing herself to Rodrigues:
"I don't understand why Allycia reached for her neck in the clinch and wasted a lot of energy doing that."
Diachkova continued:
"Smilla was on her way out and the only thing that helped her was a good punch - she got Allycia with it and Allycia started losing focus. I am the most serious opponent for Smilla to date."
ONE Fight Night 22 will take place inside the iconic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand. The event can be seen live and for free by North American viewers with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription.
Who has Natalia Diachkova fought under the ONE Championship banner?
Natalia Diachkova made her promotional debut in April 2023 at ONE Friday Fights 13. The Russian strawweight quickly put ONE Championship's brass on notice with a first-round knockout win against Dokmaipa Fairtex. Two months later, Diachkova secured the same result against Lena Nocker.
'Karelian Lynx' ended her 2023 campaign with a unanimous decision win against Hannah Brady at ONE Friday Fights 32. Last but not least, Diachkova took out Chellina Chirino by first-round knockout on March 15 at ONE Friday Fights 56, punching her ticket to ONE's primary roster.
Watch Natalia Diachkova's latest knockout win against Chirino below:
