‘Give Me My Belt’ – Natalia Diachkova Fired Up Ahead Of Stella Hemetsberger World Title Clash At ONE Fight Night 46
Natalia “Karelian Lynx” Diachkova does not see Stella “Always Hungry” Hemetsberger as the true queen of the division. She sees her as someone temporarily holding a belt that was always meant to be hers.
The Russian striker challenges the reigning two-sport ONE World Champion for the ONE Strawweight Muay Thai World Championship in the main event of ONE Fight Night 46 on Prime Video. The highly anticipated spectacle broadcasts live in U.S. primetime on Friday, August 14, from Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.
For Diachkova, a martial artist from the forests of Karelia in northwestern Russia who has spent her entire career competing on her own terms, this moment has been building since the day she first stepped inside the ONE Friday Fights ring.
A 32-5 striking record, a 6-1 mark in ONE Championship with four spectacular finishes, and a journey that began with four consecutive victories on ONE Friday Fights to earn a six-figure main roster contract all point to a fighter who has earned every single inch of this opportunity.
Her main roster debut brought her first shot at the gold, a result that ultimately did not go her way. Two straight victories since then have perfectly set the stage for a second attempt, and this time, the Russian is not simply coming to challenge. She is coming to collect.
Diachkova told onefc.com:
“I often say: I enter the fight to fight only myself. I don’t see my opponents, watch them, think about what they think or how they think. For me, it only means I have realized my own potential. I can’t say or think I beat this one or that one, no, I beat only myself, because we are all in different conditions.”
That deep internal focus does not mean Diachkova lacks an opinion on the defending champion.
Hemetsberger arrives as the reigning ONE Women’s Strawweight Muay Thai and Kickboxing World Champion, carrying a 10-1 striking record and a perfect 5-0 ONE slate that has made her one of the most talked-about fighters in the women’s divisions. The Austrian champion remains undefeated inside the promotion, technically polished, and highly dangerous across multiple disciplines.
But Diachkova’s view of the situation cuts straight to the heart of how she sees the belt, who it rightfully belongs to, and what she fully intends to do about it on August 14. The Russian standout is not mincing words.
She said:
“I’m the true [title] contender, I’m the strongest in the world. How can she fight for my title, my belt? To be honest, I didn’t feel anything, I just say: Stella, give me my f****** belt. I want to curse because, well, I don’t know, how is she not ashamed to go by with these belts and make photos with everybody? If you beat me — respect. But you haven’t fought me and you can’t be the champion.
“Stella, get f****** back and get my belt back to me. It’s enough now, you’ve played with it a bit, good girl, I think your shoulders are aching now.”
Diachkova has watched the champion carefully, and her assessment of Hemetsberger’s most recent performances is remarkably candid. The Austrian’s victories over Jackie Buntan, she firmly believes, said as much about the loser as they did about the winner, and she has consulted widely to form that specific view.
The analysis is delivered without malice, but with the unwavering conviction of someone who has diligently studied the evidence and reached a firm conclusion.
The Team Mehdi Zatout superstar said:
“When I was watching her fight, it was very smart against Jackie Buntan. She was gaining points, swatting away punches and didn’t want to fight. She feared Jackie’s hits. I consulted with the best trainers of Russia and Thailand, and all of them said it’s not Stella who won, it’s Jackie who lost.”
Natalia Diachkova Ready To Win In Any Round, Any Moment
Natalia Diachkova is prepared to go the full five rounds if that is what it takes. She is equally prepared to end it in the very first round.
The Russian superstar has not entered this camp fixated on a specific finish or a predetermined game plan that could crumble under pressure. Instead, she arrives with the readiness of a complete martial artist who has worked through every possible scenario and knows that the right opportunity, whenever it presents itself, will not be wasted.
And if the chance eventually arises to claim Stella Hemetsberger’s second belt alongside the Muay Thai gold, Diachkova will not be walking away from it.
She revealed:
“I really look forward to this fight. But I’m not thinking about a knockout. [Though] I’m ready for it in my psychological condition. I won’t give all my strength at once unless I get a lucky chance. In this case, I will make use 100 percent of it. I’m ready to knock her out in round one, two, three, four or five. I would definitely like to take her second belt as well.”
Beyond the World Title, beyond the brewing rivalry, and beyond the personal pride at stake on August 14, Diachkova carries something far more powerful into this fight: the belief of every young martial artist back home who has watched her rise and dared to dream alongside her.
The immense weight of that responsibility does not burden her. It purely drives her.
She concluded:
“They [students] will feel this power, that everything is possible. ‘I’m the same ordinary person who doesn’t stop dreaming and longs to become a champion. I go and do it.’ Each one of them can believe in herself, in her dream, and by this, I’m telling them: everything is possible in your life.”
