“I wanted to show them that I’m still the best” - Smilla Sundell admits struggling emotionally against Natalia Diachkova
Smilla Sundell was determined to show the world she's still the best female striker on the planet.
Despite losing the ONE women's strawweight Muay Thai world title on the scales, Sundell unleashed unbridled ferocity when she faced Natalia Diachkova in the main event of ONE Fight Night 22 this past weekend.
Sundell admitted in her post-fight interview that she overcame immense emotional struggle mere hours before she fought Diachkova at the iconic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium.
In her in-ring interview, she said:
"It's been hard this last day. I've been very sad, but I've had many people online, on social media that's been supporting me. And it means a lot to me. It kept me going today"
She went on to add:
"She got me good in the first round, so I knew I couldn't stop there because I got my family around me and I wanted to show them that I'm still the best."
Sundell, 19, weighed in at 1.5 pounds heavier than the strawweight limit of 125 pounds and was effectively stripped of her world title on the scale.
It was also reported that she grew at least two inches taller, putting her in a difficult position of shedding the necessary weight ahead of the official weigh-ins.
Nevertheless, Sundell showed tremendous heart in her fight against Diachkova.
Sundell was visibly rocked in the first round but recovered more than enough in the second.
She folded Diachkova with a nasty left hook to the body and launched into an unstoppable flurry forcing referee Olivier Coste to stop the fight 2:59 into the round.
Smilla Sundell wants a women's flyweight division
Although she's confident she can get back to strawweight, Smilla Sundell eyes moving up a weight class if ONE Championship creates one.
The 19-year-old Swedish phenom is now listed at 5'10" - two inches taller than when she started in the promotion, and it's possible she could still grow before she turns 20.
In her in-ring interview with ONE Championship commentator Mitch Chilson, Sundell said she'd like to compete at a higher weight class if a women's flyweight division is created:
"My weight didn't go off this time, [but] then I think I can do [strawweight] again. But what I want most is another weight division."