“I also look up to her even more” - Smilla Sundell says she’d love to face fellow world champ Phetjeeja in a super fight
Smilla Sundell is no stranger to super fights, and she's now looking at another one to boost her growing legacy.
The reigning ONE women's strawweight Muay Thai world champion has a world title defense lined up, but she won't mind looking ahead at a match against fellow world titleholder Phetjeeja.
In an interview with the South China Morning Post, Sundell said she holds the ONE atomweight kickboxing world champion in high regard and would love to have a potential fight against the Thai superstar.
Smilla Sundell said:
"Now I looked up to Phetjeeja then, but I also look up to her even more now. But yeah, she's very strong."
Sundella and Phetjeeja are seen as two of the best female strikers on the planet and have the potential to become all-time greats in either Muay Thai or kickboxing.
Phetjeeja, 22, is a perfect 6-0 in ONE Championship and holds a preposterous 208-6 record in his professional career.
Sundell, meanwhile, is three years younger than Phetjeeja and is at 4-0 in the promotion and 35-5 overall.
'The Hurricane' is also coming off arguably the toughest fight of her career at ONE Fight Night 14.
The Swedish teenage phenom scored a huge knockout win over Allycia Hellen Rodrigues, the ONE atomweight Muay Thai world champion, to retain her gold.
Rodrigues controlled the match at the start and managed to cut the void between her and Sundell. That hot start, however, was erased when Sundell found her rhythm and knocked out the Brazilian star in the third round.
Watch Sundell's entire interview below:
Smilla Sundell faces Russian knockout menace Natalia Diachkova in next world title defense
Before she even dreams of facing Phetjeeja in the Circle, Smilla Sundell must first take care of her impending business against Natalia Diachkova.
Sundell will defend her 26 pounds of gold against the Russian knockout machine in the main event of ONE Fight Night 22 on May 3 at the historic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok.
Diachkova is a perfect 4-0 in ONE Championship, 30-4 in her career, with three first-round knockout wins.
ONE Fight Night 22 is available live and free to all Prime Video subscribers in the United States and Canada.