Smilla Sundell advocates for more people to try Muay Thai: “It will help you feel good about yourself”

Sports has been the root of inspiration for a lot of young adults and teenagers who follow the idols and heroes they admire. For ONE strawweight Muay Thai world champion Smilla Sundell, her sport of choice was 'the art of eight limbs'.

Sundell began her training in Muay Thai at the age of 10. She simply started it as a hobby for fun, before the combat sport became a serious commitment. Because of her love and passion for Muay Thai, she rapidly climbed the ranks, and the world’s largest martial arts organization signed her in 2022.

Sundell immediately introduced herself to everyone by beating Diandra Martin in her debut inside the circle with a third-round TKO victory. That win set the stage for the inaugural ONE women’s strawweight world title match with Jackie Buntan in April 2022 at ONE 156.

Watch the highlights of Sundell vs. Buntan below:

The Swede phenom displayed another incredible performance to beat Buntan via unanimous decision and become the youngest Muay Thai world champion in ONE at only 17 years old. As she reached the pinnacle of the sport, Sundell has urged more people to try Muay Thai, not to follow in her footsteps as a world champion but for their health and well-being in general.

Speaking to ONE Championship, ‘The Hurricane’ said:

"I think by doing Muay Thai, you will be more confident, and you will feel fitter and healthier. It’s really good training for someone because you move your whole body. It will help you feel good about yourself."

On September 29, Sundell will be defending her world title for the first time against ONE atomweight Muay Thai world champion Allycia Hellen Rodrigues at ONE Fight Night 14, which goes down inside the Singapore Indoor Stadium.

ONE Fight Night 14 is free for Prime Video subscribers in North America.