Sundell confident ahead of her second title defence
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Sundell confident ahead of her second title defence

Smilla Sundell will be defending her title against Natalia Diachkova on May 4.
Smilla Sundell will be defending her title against Natalia Diachkova on May 4.

Smilla "The Hurricane" Sundell believes she can overcome arguably the toughest test of her record-breaking career to date.

The ONE women's strawweight Muay Thai world champion attempts the second defence of her crown when she faces streaking Russian striker Natalia Diachkova in the ONE Fight Night 22 main event on May 4.

Diachkova has charged into world championship contention with a scintillating start to life as a ONE fighter.

"Karelian Lynx" recorded three crushing knockouts after making her promotional bow last year, and all of them came via punches. Her devastating power makes her a threat to any strawweight fighter on the planet.

Meanwhile, Sundell has also been doing her homework on her upcoming foe ahead of their showdown at Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.

"I watched all her [ONE] 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 said.

"I don't think any fight is easy at this level, so no, it's not going to be an easier fight compared to my previous fights. We'll see in the ring."

Sundell became the youngest world champion in ONE history in 2022. There, she captured the women's atomweight Muay Thai crown with a unanimous decision victory over Jackie Buntan at 17 years old.

Still only 19, the Swedish phenom has her prime years ahead of her. With so much left to achieve in her career, Sundell believes that her competitive drive will make the difference as she looks to halt Diachkova's four-fight winning run.

"I like stopping people's streaks," she said. "But I think I want this more than her, and that's why I'll come out on top."

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