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Smilla Sundell voiced her respect for Natalia Diachkova after their clash in the ONE Fight Night 22 main event. Last Friday represented Sundell's fifth appearance under the ONE Championship banner. Things didn't start as planned, with 'The Hurricane' being stripped of her ONE women's strawweight Muay Thai world title after missing weight.
Sundell wasn't eligible to regain her throne at ONE Fight Night 22, but she still had an opportunity to showcase her skills. The 19-year-old landed several devastating body shots and left hooks in round two to secure a knockout win and extend her overall promotional record to 5-0.
During an interview with South China Morning Post, Sundell praised Diachkova after their fight by saying:
"Natalia is one of the strongest I fought. They're all different. Natalia has good boxing, very good boxing. But I think she also had her teeps, which looks to have got me to the floor too. But that's just me off balance."
The replay of ONE Fight Night 22, including Sundell's impressive performance against Diachkova, can be seen for free by North American and Canadian viewers with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription.
Watch Smilla Sundell's entire interview with SCMP below:
What's next for Smilla Sundell?
Smilla Sundell has several options for her next fight; the deciding factor would be her weight cut. ONE Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong is potentially interested in starting a women's flyweight Muay Thai division so Sundell could move up and fight for the inaugural world title.
Sundell could also decide to make a few adjustments and remain in the women's strawweight Muay Thai division. If she chose to pursue the vacant throne, the 19-year-old phenom could find herself in a rematch against Natalia Diahkova or Jackie Buntan.
Buntan and Sundell have been on a collision course for an action-packed Muay Thai rematch since they fought for the inaugural strawweight world title in April 2022, which 'The Hurricane' won by unanimous decision.
Watch the fight-ending sequence of Sundell vs Diachkova below:
