‘I Want This More Than Her’ – Smilla Sundell Hungry To Take Out Dangerous Challenger Natalia Diachkova

The main event of ONE Fight Night 22 on Prime Video will see ONE Women’s Strawweight Muay Thai World Champion Smilla “The Hurricane” Sundell look to extend her reign of terror when she takes on surging Russian knockout artist Natalia “Karelian Lynx” Diachkova.

Set for U.S. primetime on May 3, that World Title showdown will be Sundell’s fifth appearance in ONE and another opportunity to cement her status as one of the best pound-for-pound strikers on the planet.

Still just 19 years old, “The Hurricane” has enjoyed an incredible run of dominance through the world’s largest martial arts organization.

However, she expects a serious World Title challenge from Diachkova, who boasts three first-round knockouts and a flawless 4-0 record in the ONE Friday Fights event series.

Sundell spoke to onefc.com ahead of her battle at Bangkok’s Lumpinee Boxing Stadium:

“I watched all her Friday Fights. Very quick finishes in most of them, so it’s very hard to say how it will be if it goes longer than one round. But yeah, she’s strong and has good boxing.”

Given her success when the lights are brightest, many fans and pundits might expect the Swedish titleholder to run through Diachkova with ease.

However, Sundell disagrees and is quick to give respect to the challenger:

“I don’t think any fight is easy at this level, so no, it’s not gonna be an easier fight compared to my previous fights. We’ll see in the ring.”

For her part, “Karelian Lynx” is a decorated striker at both the amateur and professional levels, having brought a wealth of high-level experience to ONE.

Since her promotional debut last April at ONE Friday Fights 13, the 29-year-old has proven to be a terrifying contender and a ruthless puncher, stringing together dominant performances and earning a spot on the global roster.

Sundell, though, is excited to end Diachkova’s meteoric rise:

“I like stopping people’s streaks. But I think I want this more than her, and that’s why I’ll come out on top.”

Sundell Happy To Find A Game Contender

Because she’s looked so unstoppable in ONE, Smilla Sundell has struggled to find opponents willing to step up for the challenge.

In fact, with potential foes pulling out and fights falling through, she admits that it’s been difficult to stay motivated at times:

“I’ve been told that I was going to fight many times now, but it’s been rescheduled and canceled, so I didn’t have any opponents.

“It’s very hard to focus when you don’t have a person in mind. So it’s been hard to focus, but I’m on it now. I need a name to focus on.”

Luckily, Natalia Diachkova is ready to throw herself into the fire on May 3.

And with her next World Title defense quickly approaching, the strawweight Muay Thai queen says that after so much difficulty finding a challenger, she is fully prepared for fight night.

Sundell added:

“I was like ‘Oh, finally!’ But it was kind of hard getting [an opponent]. It was hard for me to also focus, but when I got the name, I switched on my fight mode.”