"I want to have three around me" - Smilla Sundell looks to follow in Stamp's footsteps by becoming three-sport queen
Smilla Sundell wants to follow the path set by longtime teammate and training partner Stamp Fairtex.
Stamp completed her three-sport quest last September when she finished Ham Seo Hee for the vacant ONE atomweight MMA world title in Singapore. Prior to that, the Fairtex Training Center product held the division's kickboxing and Muay Thai gold.
Having been inspired by her sparring partner's meteoric rise to the top of multiple disciplines, the Stockholm native has eyes on repeating Stamp's path to greatness in the future.
Speaking to ONE Championship, Smilla Sundell shared:
"Yeah, [I want to do the same in the strawweight division]. But I want to have them all at the same time. I want to have three around me."
Though it won't be an easy task, confidence is often the name of the game. And that is something 'The Hurricane' doesn't appear to be short of whenever she dazzles on the global stage.
The 19-year-old hasn't displayed many flaws within her arsenal, and that well-rounded skill set appears to be a constant area that the Pattaya-based striker seems to be improving for fun.
With the right approach and eagerness to learn, another kickboxing duel or an MMA debut could be in the offing.
For now, however, Smilla Sundell must shift all her focus onto her next assignment inside the Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.
Smilla Sundell faces Natalia Diachkova on May 3
The ONE strawweight Muay Thai world champion enters her second world title defense against Natalia Diachkova in the headliner of ONE Fight Night 22 this Friday, May 3.
The Fairtex Training Center representative enters this showdown after passing her first assignment with relative ease, which came against Allycia Hellen Rodrigues at ONE Fight Night 14 in September last year.
As for the challenger, she is armed with confidence after earning a six-figure contract at ONE Friday Fights 55, courtesy of a first-round KO of Chellina Chirino inside the Mecca of Muay Thai.
North American fans with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription can catch the entire card live and for free in U.S. primetime.