Strawweight Muay Thai queen Smilla Sundell lauds Natalia Diachkova's fight-ending power: "She's strong and has good boxing"

ONE women
ONE women's strawweight Muay Thai world champion Smilla Sundell

19-year-old phenom and reigning and undisputed ONE women's strawweight Muay Thai world champion 'The Hurricane' Smilla Sundell of Sweden is ready to return to action, and fans can't wait to witness the 5-foot-8-inch tall female striker doing what she does best.

Sundell is one of the most dangerous fighters on the planet. Even at such a young age, 'The Hurricane' has already accomplished much in her career.

She is set to defend her strawweight Muay Thai gold against Russian star Natalia Diachkova at ONE Fight Night 22: Sundell vs. Diachkova on Prime Video, which broadcasts live from the iconic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.

Fans in the United States and Canada can catch all the action live and absolutely free, on U.S. primetime via Amazon Prime Video on Friday, May 3rd.

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Speaking to ONE Championship in a recent interview, Sundell gave Diachkova her flowers and praised her Russian adversary ahead of their showdown.

'The Hurricane' said:

"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."

Sundell is one of the most dominant fighters in ONE pound-for-pound. Needless to say, she didn't get to this point in her career by underestimating her opponents. The Swedish star says she fully respects Diachkova and all that the Russian brings to the table.


Smilla Sundell is all business heading into Natalia Diachkova fight: "I switched on my fight mode"

On the surface, Smilla Sundell is just a sweet 19-year-old girl with a high pitched voice. But when she steps into the ring, 'The Hurricane' transforms into the perfect storm.

She told ONE Championship:

"I was like, 'Oh, finally!' But it was kind of hard getting [a worthy opponent]. It was hard for me to also focus, but when I got the name, I switched on my fight mode."

Because of Sundell's towering height and insane reach advantage, not many are willing to step into the ring with the teenage sensation. Will Diachkova prove to be a tough challenger?

Stay tuned to Sportskeeda MMA as we bring you all the news and updates from ONE Fight Night 22 fight week in Bangkok.

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Edited by Tejas Rathi
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