‘I’m Still The Same Person’ – Stella Hemetsberger Reflects On Life As A Two-Sport World Champion
Some fighters change the moment undisputed gold wraps around their waist. Two-sport ONE World Champion Stella “Always Hungry” Hemetsberger has simply refused to let it reshape her identity.
The Austrian superstar will bring that exact same humble mindset when she defends her ONE Women’s Strawweight Muay Thai World Title for the first time against Russian standout Natalia “Karelian Lynx” Diachkova.
This highly anticipated clash serves as the main event of ONE Fight Night 46 on Prime Video, broadcasting live in U.S. primetime from the world-famous Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, on Friday, August 14.
The RS-GYM and Phuket Fight Club representative first overcame Jackie Buntan at ONE Fight Night 35 to capture the vacant Muay Thai crown. Five months later, the Austrian striking ace dethroned the Filipino-American in another highly technical five-round battle to claim the ONE Women’s Strawweight Kickboxing World Championship.
It has now been six months since Hemetsberger officially etched her name into the history books, becoming only the third female athlete to capture gold in two disciplines — joining Stamp Fairtex and Janet “JT” Todd — in ONE Championship.
Looking back on that monumental achievement still brings a bright smile to her face:
“Since I became a double champion, it’s just been amazing. I’m really happy I could get the win in the second fight as well [against Jackie Buntan] and just prove myself. I’m super happy with how it went.”
As monumental as that accomplishment was, very little has actually shifted in how the 27-year-old approaches her day-to-day life at Phuket Fight Club.
She proudly remains the exact same martial artist who first walked through those doors in 2022. Back then, she was not yet a professional, drawing daily inspiration from watching ONE Women’s Atomweight Muay Thai World Champion Allycia Hellen Rodrigues operate up close as the ultimate standard to chase.
Hemetsberger told onefc.com:
“Honestly, I don’t think this victory changed [the outlook of my career]. Like, I’m still the same person. I’m still working hard to reach my goals.
“But yeah, it’s just amazing to have completed and achieved such an accomplishment and walk out of the ring with two belts on your shoulders.”
That incredibly grounded mentality has not stopped the achievement from adding a profound new layer of purpose to everything Hemetsberger does. Rather than comfortably settling into her elite status, she has found the championship experience fueling an even sharper hunger heading into every single training session.
That pure thirst for success shows up most clearly in how she openly discusses her own athletic development. Becoming a two-sport queen may be the defining achievement of her professional career so far, but in her mind, it is simply the latest step toward even bigger dreams on the global stage.
Hemetsberger reflected:
“I think that experience of becoming a double champion gives me the motivation to always get better and become a better fighter. Each fight, I’m aiming to get better and better until I’m the best version of myself.”
The Weight Of Two World Titles
Carrying two prestigious World Titles simultaneously has not changed how Stella Hemetsberger sees herself, even if the outside world’s perception of her has shifted dramatically over the past year.
Fame, global attention, and the undeniable star power that now follows her everywhere still sit slightly awkwardly with someone who has spent most of her life simply taking one careful step at a time to ensure she was always heading in the right direction.
The Austrian striker added:
“Honestly, I feel very weird talking about myself, like, as a star, because I feel like I’m still the same person. Like, for me, it hasn’t changed that much. But yeah, it’s cool to have achieved those goals in ONE Championship.”
That exact same humility effortlessly extends to how Hemetsberger views the full arc of her journey — from a curious 13-year-old discovering Muay Thai entirely by accident, to a two-sport World Champion preparing for a highly anticipated title defense.
Reflecting on just how far that incredible journey has carried her, the 27-year-old has a very clear answer for what she would tell the younger version of herself who was only just taking baby steps into the sport.
Hemetsberger concluded:
“If there is a message I would like to tell my 13-year-old self, who was just sort of getting started…I honestly think she wouldn’t even believe what I’m telling her right now. But I would just tell her to keep going, stay motivated, and just follow your goals.”
