SUMMARY
- Smilla Sundell vs. Natalia Diachkova takes place at ONE Fight Night 22 for the Strawweight Muay Thai title.
- Diachkova is confident that she will beat Sundell to win the title.
Natalia “Karelian Lynx” Diachkova is unfazed about the massive hype surrounding Smilla “The Hurricane” Sundell. On May 3 in U.S. primetime, the Russian standout challenges Sundell for the latter’s ONE Women’s Strawweight Muay Thai World Title in the main event of ONE Fight Night 22 on Prime Video, and she’s not at all intimidated by the teenage phenom.
In fact, Natalia Diachkova can’t wait to stand and bang with the 19-year-old divisional queen who owns a 4-0 slate and two World Title victories at Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.
“I am not scared. I am excited and happy. All I want is to get into the ring with her to see what is so interesting about her and what everyone is talking about,” she said.
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Adding to this, she thinks that this crucial fight won’t be challenging enough.
“She hasn’t faced the strongest opposition in the division. Her rivals were so small. I think I am the most serious opponent for Smilla so far. I don’t think [she will be my most difficult fight]. I think there are stronger girls out there!” she said.
Evidently, Diachkova has a reason for her massive confidence, as she ran through all four of her opponents in the ONE Friday Fights weekly series to earn a six-figure contract with the largest martial arts organization. The 29-year-old has a decade of experience on her upcoming foe and expects her striking to be more refined than Sundell’s youthful and powerful offense.
“Her age doesn’t really matter. Mentally, she is still a child. I’ve seen everyone afraid of her, but I’m not afraid of her. I see weaknesses in her style. She doesn’t know how to use her long limbs. It will be a problem for her when she fights me because her previous opponents were [a lot] shorter,” Diachkova said.
Indeed, if Diachkova is able to put her experience to use and overwhelm the teenage superstar, this main event feat will be something not to miss.
Natalia Diachkova will use “many advantages” over Smilla Sundell
Honing her skills with Team Mehdi Zatout, Natalia Diachkova has racked up three knockouts among her four ONE victories, and she is confident in her ability to finish anyone. She knows that her punching power is a huge asset, but her all-around skill set is not to be overlooked.
Planning to land plenty of leather on Smilla Sundell when she challenges for the ONE Women’s Strawweight Muay Thai World Title, “Karelian Lynx” won’t rule out a performance that showcases other areas of her arsenal.
“I have many advantages. I am underestimated in the clinch and generally in everything that I have not yet had time to show. My advantages are my hard punches and working with combinations, as well as my experience,” she said.
But her best weapon will most likely be her punch, although that’s only part of her overall skills. With that, she expects to fight smart and hard.
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“I can win with strong punches, but anything can happen in the ring. This is how the fight will go: I will follow the plan. I will remain focused and cold-blooded. I will fight smart. If I connect and hit her – and I will – I will finish her,” she said.
Of course, the most satisfying result for Diachkova would be an emphatic finish of the Swedish juggernaut – and that will set into motion a new era for the women’s strawweight Muay Thai division.