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Former ONE women's strawweight Muay Thai world champion Smilla Sundell is at a crucial point in her young career. The 19-year-old prodigy lost her belt before her supposed world title defense at ONE Fight Night 22 last weekend.
'The Hurricane' got stripped of her belt after missing weight by a sizable margin. The situation got more complex as Sundell won the fight with Natalia Diachkova, despite not being eligible to win the strap. This put the ONE women's strawweight Muay Thai division without a world champion.
In her post-event media interview, Sundell addressed the issue and what she plans to do about it:
“I really want my belt back. Yeah, that's what I want. I will get it back, I think. But I also want another weight division.”
Sundell missed weight by 1.5 pounds, which, to the uninitiated, might not weigh so much. However, to those who understand the intricacies of weight cutting and ONE's stringent hydration test, this could be a mountain to climb. Considering Sundell is just a teenager and will have much room to grow physically as she ages, meeting the 125-pound strawweight limit may get harder.
ONE Championship considering new 135-pound weight class for Smilla Sundell
It seems ONE has been planning on a new weight class to accommodate Sundell's weight issues. Speaking to Sportskeeda MMA, ONE Championship CEO Chatri Sityodtong revealed the promotion's intention of putting together a 135-pound women's Muay Thai division:
"Yes, I've already been considering it a long time ago."
Smilla Sundell expressed interest in moving to a heavier weight class before her bout at ONE Fight Night 22. Considering that and the words Sityodtong, it seems this has been a nagging issue for the young prodigy. Only time will tell if 'The Hurricane' can pull off champ-champ status by conquering two weight classes in the future.
The replay of ONE Fight Night 22 is available on demand for Prime Video subscribers in the United States and Canada.
