ONE
Championship muay thai women’s 125-pound champion Smilla
Sundell recently shared three-sport glory plans ahead of her
second title defense.
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The youngest champion in the history of the promotion, Sundell has
already achieved more at 19 years of age than many fighters do in
their entire career. “The Hurricane” became the inaugural ONE
Championship muay thai women’s 125-pound champion with a unanimous
decision over Jackie
Buntan and has since defended her strap with a knockout win
over Allycia
Hellen Rodrigues. The Swede is now scheduled to defend her
title for a second time against Natalia
Diachkova at
ONE Fight Night 22 on May 3.
Sundell recently shared future three-sport championship aspirations
leading up to her bout against Diachkova. Having already started
dabbling in mixed martial arts, Sundell wants to simultaneously
hold ONE Championship muay thai, kickboxing and MMA titles.
“I just want to be the best version of myself. And I want to have
the kickboxing belt. I also want the MMA belt as well in the
future,” Sundell said. “I’ve started training in MMA now, and I
would like to have all the belts all at the same time.”
While Sundell is considering an immediate bid for kickboxing gold
should she get past Diachkova, “The Hurricane” wants to preferably
ease into MMA with a mixed-rules bout; a regular spectacle offered
by the promotion.
“I would like to try for the kickboxing belt. And then maybe I can
squeeze in a mixed rules fight so I can try out MMA. I’ve done some
guillotines already, so I’m definitely going to try those.”
Sundell will admittedly be watching out for the proven knockout
power of Diachkova, who has finished three of her four ONE
Championship wins via first-round KO. However, the champ wonders
how “Karelian Lynx” will hold up when the fight goes into Rounds 4
and 5.
“Yeah, I have. I watched all her [ONE] Friday Fights. Very short
finishes on 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… [I’m most impressed by] the speed and her power
because she knocks her opponents out.”