"It's always been my losses that led to greater victories!" - Natalia Diachkova gears up for a comeback after loss to Smilla Sundell
Muay Thai powerhouse Natalia Diachkova keeps her head high after suffering a devastating loss to Smilla Sundell at ONE Fight Night 22. Diachkova and Sundell headlined the main event on Friday in an agreed-upon catchweight bout after the Swedish superstar failed to make the strawweight limit and was stripped of the ONE women's strawweight Muay Thai world title.
As a result, Diachkova was eligible to claim the divisional belt, but Sundell was not. With that said, it must be difficult for Diachkova to look back on this fight and not feel any sense of regret when she was just inches away from world championship glory.
Remarkably, the Russian powerstriker has taken her loss with grace and humility. She took to Instagram this week, thanking everyone, for the opportunity to grow and do what she loves.
"I put my trust in God. I'm happy I'm so freaking happy! Thank you my team! It's always been my losses that led to greater victories! Thanks to my team and everyone who helped me throughout this wonderful year of life at @venumtrainingcamp.
She continued:
"My life has changed so much God thank you! To everyone who cheered for me and worried, thank you!"
"It was one of my biggest challenges" - Smilla Sundell believes that former rival Natalia Diachkova lived up to the hype
Smilla Sundell proved her durability in this fight when she went strike-for-strike with Natalia Diachkova.
The Swedish superstar has never been knocked out in ONE Championship but she was very close to losing it all after absorbing the Russian's best punches in the first round.
Going into the second round, she didn't know where she was or even where Diachkova was positioned since her left eye was shut completely. Sustaining that amount of damage could've dropped anybody, but Sundell stayed the course until finding the shocking finish via a liver shot to the body.
Looking back, Sundell admitted to ONE that Diachkova was her toughest challenge yet.
"It was one of my biggest challenges. She got me good in the first round. So yeah, she's definitely at the top."