“Not everything depends on age and strength” – Supergirl thinks age will not be a factor against Ekaterina Vandaryeva

Supergirl will make her return to ONE Super Series when she takes on Ekaterina ‘Barbie’ Vandaryeva in a strawweight Muay Thai bout at ONE: Heavy Hitters. The event is set to be broadcast live on January 24.

The 18-year-old Thai phenom is one of the youngest competitors in ONE Championship today, so the chances of her competing against older opponents is to be expected. For her second match in the promotion, the she will take on Vandaryeva, who is 12 years her senior.

In a recent interview with ONE Championship, the Marrok Force recruit admitted that she recognizes their obvious physical differences.

“Her kicks are super fast and she looks quite stronger than I am, so I’m now trying to bulk up.”

Despite this, she believes that there are other factors that can come into play when the bell rings.

“Not everything depends on age and strength... There are things I can use to fight her, like my techniques.”

In her first match in the promotion, Supergirl was eager to showcase these techniques. However, her match with Milagros Lopez ended a bit quicker than she imagined, as she notched a knockout win within 60 seconds of it starting.

“I was so nervous in that fight, I didn’t really do what I thought [I should’ve]. Everything happened from muscle memory. Like when I grabbed her leg and punched her, I didn’t plan to do that. It happened automatically because once you’re punched, you punch back... When I won, I felt like it went so fast. I was so nervous and it ended in just one minute. I didn’t even put my all in yet.”

As her next fight draws near, she only has one message to ‘Barbie’:

“I might be young, but my punches are not to be fooled around with."

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Supergirl wants revenge more than world title

Judging by Supergirl’s sensational debut performance, it might not be a surprise to see her in the world title picture should she defeat Vandaryeva. However, the young Thai is more interested in conquering one fighter in particular.

“It’s Jackie [Buntan], no doubt, because I want to take revenge for [Wondergirl].”

Wondergirl is Supergirl’s older sister and fellow ONE Super Series competitor. Wondergirl was making waves in the promotion with two straight wins upon her arrival, but Buntan put a halt to that at last year’s ONE: Fists of Fury event.

On an interesting note, the Filipina-American Buntan also put a blemish on ‘Barbie’s record, which the Belarusian warrior may want to avenge if she gets the win over the Thai wonder.

Either way, both Supergirl and Vandaryeva are highly motivated to step back and compete again, so their match will certainly have the makings of a show-stealer.