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Pundits and hardcore fans are split on who to root for between defending ONE strawweight Muay Thai queen Smilla Sundell and her challenger Natalia Diachkova in the main event at ONE Fight Night 22.
Smilla Sundell last defended her crown against ONE atomweight Muay Thai world champion Allycia Hellen Rodrigues in September 2023.
Long ago as it was, the fight made a lasting impact. During the match, Sundell demonstrated that there's more to her than there appears. She's precise, aggressive, and adaptable. Rodrigues, for one, didn't know how to stop her. The Brazilian world champion eventually succumbed to the Swedish superstar mid-round via knockout.
On the other hand, there's Natalia Diachkova. She ignites the ring with her trademark brutality, dominating her last four opponents with her fists and imposing game plan. Built like a tank, Diachkova is Sundell's biggest threat to her throne.
Any way you look at it, Sundell vs Diachkova is a guaranteed barnburner.
Muay Thai fans are, therefore, split on who to root for since they have a high esteem for both female strikers.
Check out all the pro-Sundell and pro-Diachkova reactions below:
ONE Fight Night 22 goes down on May 3 at the historic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok. The entire card is available live and free to all Prime Video subscribers in the United States and Canada.
"Sharpest weapon is my boxing" - Smilla Sundell prepared to utilize her elite boxing skills against Natalia Diachkova
Everything that Smilla Sundell does inside the ring is quick, explosive, and powerful. Her boxing combinations alone can be deadly when given the opportunity.
Against Natalia Diachkova, Sundell hopes she can rely on her combos again to slow her opponent down, just like she did with Allycia Hellen Rodrigues.
Over the last eight months, the Swedish superstar has been working on developing her stance with her trainer and is excited to show how much smoother she moves inside the ring.
Despite focusing on all other aspects of Muay Thai, Sundell admitted that her boxing would be the key to Diachkova's demise.
She told SCMP MMA:
"I've been working on everything but my sharpest weapon right now is my boxing."
