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19-year-old ONE strawweight Muay Thai world champion Smilla Sundell will defend her belt against streaking Russian sensation Natalia Diachkova at ONE Fight Night 22 on May 3rd.
Diachkova, or 'Karelian Lynx' as her fans call her, is on a five-fight winning streak with four straight under the ONE Championship banner. The world champion is not taking her upcoming challenger lightly.
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She is, however, looking to broaden her horizons if and when she gets past Diachkova at ONE Fight Night 22. In an interview with Calf Kick Sports on YouTube, Smilla Sundell revealed her plans to venture out into MMA, with a little caveat:
“I want to try MMA, but I want to have the kickboxing belt first, but I would love to move over to MMA.”
Winning the kickboxing world title and possibly capturing her division's MMA belt will put Sundell in the same company as her teammate, Stamp Fairtex. Stamp is the only ONE world champion to capture belts across three different sports. She's held the atomweight kickboxing and Muay Thai world titles and now has her division's MMA belt.
'The Hurricane' might do her one better and hold all belts simultaneously. At 19 years of age and still years ahead of her prime, Sundell has the potential to pull it off.
Smilla Sundell also interested in mixed-rules bouts and possibly moving up in weight
In a separate interview with the South China Morning Post, the young world champion revealed her immediate plans for her budding career:
I would like a higher weight class. But I'm up for like super fights and mixed-rules fights.
Smilla Sundell has had experience fighting world champions outside her weight class, although it was them moving up in weight.
At ONE Fight Night 14 in September of last year, 'The Hurricane' defended her belt for the first time by dispatching ONE atomweight Muay Thai queen Allycia Hellen Rodrigues, who moved up to strawweight with the hopes of becoming a two-division world champion.
Perhaps the promotion can put together a women's flyweight Muay Thai division and have the young Swede compete for the throne. Only time will tell.
ONE Fight Night 22 will air live on US Primetime free of charge for existing Prime Video subscribers in North America.
