‘Obviously, I See Myself Winning’ – Diandra Martin Thinks She Can KO Amber Kitchen
Diandra Martin could not be any happier right now.
The 27-year-old Aussie is thrilled to be fighting Muay Thai royalty on ONE Championship’s inaugural Prime Video card, and what makes it even sweeter is that she’ll be competing in front of a live crowd once again.
This Friday, August 26, Martin will face Amber Kitchen in a 128-pound catchweight Muay Thai showdown at ONE on Prime Video 1: Moraes vs. Johnson II inside the Singapore Indoor Stadium.
The Canberra native is ecstatic to showcase her skills for the North American primetime audience, but she’s also delighted to share the Circle with the British star. After all, she is quite fond of her opponent and her famous mother.
Martin said:
“It’s awesome. When I heard about who I was fighting, I was really excited. Like, I am a big fan of her mum, Julie Kitchen, and things like that. I’ve followed them for a while, and then when my coach told me my fight was going to be on Prime Video now and there was going to be an audience, it just felt awesome. It’s surreal to me.”
Kitchen, a WBC England Muay Thai Champion, holds an impressive 18-5-1 record, and she is considered one of the best female Muay Thai practitioners born outside of Thailand.
The 23-year-old Cornwall resident has competed only once in ONE Championship, but her match against Viktoria Lipianska in September 2019 was an absolute firefight. Though she lost via split decision, the three-rounder was one of the most ferocious bouts of the year.
A true student of the game, Martin studied that fight and Kitchen’s previous battles to formulate an effective game plan for their upcoming tussle.
Martin said:
“She’s fast with her hands, and she likes to throw hands. But she hasn’t been hitting in the small gloves [yet], so it could be a bit of a change. She might not want to throw hands as much as you want to stay back and kick.
“She’s really good at lifting the left leg up and kind of flicking the kick, which is good, especially if it’s coming up to the head. So, I’ve been practicing keeping my hands up and things like that. But yeah, she’s very aggressive.”
Martin may have gotten a late start to her Muay Thai journey, but she quickly gained experience on the ultra-competitive Australian scene. After compiling 10 victories and knocking out South African-Australian legend Yolanda Schmidt in 2021, the Canberra native signed with ONE Championship.
Like Kitchen, the tall Aussie has only competed once in the world’s largest martial arts organization. But in her debut this past February, she fell to Swedish prodigy Smilla Sundell, who has since become the inaugural ONE Women’s Strawweight Muay Thai World Champion.
Though she suffered a tough loss, Martin learned a valuable lesson and has been training hard at Muay U to deliver a better performance in her sophomore appearance.
She said:
“After my fight with Smilla, I was working on my hands just because I knew how much damage you can do with them. But you know, I looked at myself holistically after that fight and worked on so many different things – my kicks, my clinch, my boxing, and things like that. So, there hasn’t been really one specific thing [I’ve concentrated on].”
Diandra Martin Confident Ahead Of Amber Kitchen Tilt
Diandra Martin may have fallen short in her promotional debut, but the Australian sensation believes she’ll have a much better showing in her sophomore appearance at ONE on Prime Video 1.
Aside from the new tricks she’s picked up at Muay U, the rising star thinks her recent activity in the Circle and experience with the 4-ounce MMA gloves will give her an edge against Amber Kitchen in their Muay Thai showdown.
In fact, she feels it could even lead to an early stoppage.
Martin said:
“Whenever I go into a fight, I do want to win. So, obviously, I see myself winning. Because she’s had such a long time off, I potentially could get a knockout in the first round, or the second or third. Or, it could go the distance.
“I’m confident in myself, I’m confident in my abilities, and being in those little gloves, I feel confident in a win.”
