"They were supportive, and they think I could do it if I want to" - Smilla Sundell looks to her family for inspiration in her fight career

Smilla Sundell’s parents aren’t your typical mom and pop pairing.

While parents usually push their children to athletic feats, those sports seldom involve hitting each other with fists and limbs. Sundell’s parents are the complete opposites.

In an interview with ONE Championship, the 17-year-old from Sweden said it wasn’t just her who began training in Muay Thai but her whole family.

The Sundell family moved to Koh Samui in Thailand when Smilla was around 11. With not much to do on the island, they found a Muay Thai gym and that’s what started their love for the sport.

Sundell, who had already started karate in Sweden, said:

“When my family moved to Thailand, I moved to a small island called Koh Samui. There was not so much to do there. So, when we discovered a local Muay Thai gym, we decided to join. We were trying to have fun with my family. I started training full-time. The whole family trained in Muay Thai, but my mom and dad stopped because they couldn't do it anymore. So I did it with my sister."

Despite her parents dropping out of the sport, Sundell said they’ve been supportive of her career and barely missed any of her fights.

The promising striker added that her parents aren’t scared that she would get hurt inside the ring, saying:

“They were supportive, and they think I could do it if I want to. They're very supportive. They’ve already seen many fights of mine live. I had like 30 fights in Samui, and they would go to every fight."

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Smilla Sundell will have her family come to her title fight

Smilla Sundell’s family has been with her throughout her career and they may very well be there when she, potentially, lifts the ONE women’s strawweight Muay Thai world title at ONE: Eersel vs. Sadikovic.

The teenage phenom said her father and sister will travel with her to Singapore for the April 22 fight against Jackie Buntan.

She added that her family was ecstatic when they found out that she would be fighting Buntan for ONE Championship’s newest world title. She said:

“Maybe my mom will come. I'm not sure yet. But yeah, my dad and my sister, for sure. They were very happy for me. Yeah, very happy and supportive, and they want me to succeed and everything. They were very excited."