"Mentally she is still a child" - Natalia Diachkova says she'll break teenage prodigy Smilla Sundell at ONE Fight Night 22
ONE women's strawweight Muay Thai world title challenger Natalia Diachkova believes her 10-year age gap with Smilla Sundell won't matter at ONE Fight Night 22.
In the main event of ONE's fifth Amazon card of 2024, the 29-year-old Russian heavy-hitter will look to end Sundell's reign as the queen of the 125-pound women's Muay Thai division.
In an interview with ONE, Diachkova addressed the Swedish phenom's massive accomplishments in the 'Art of Eight Limbs' at just 19 years age of age.
By the looks of it, 'Karelian Lynx' thinks the champion's youth won't be much of an advantage when they trade fists on May 3 at the iconic Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.
Moreover, Diachkova boldly claimed that 'The Hurricane' still isn't mature enough to handle the demands of the world stage. She said:
"Her age doesn't practically matter! I won the national adult championship when I was 16 years old. But mentally, she is still a child."
Meanwhile, Sundell, who is the youngest champion in ONE history, has proven to be wise beyond her years both inside and outside the Circle.
We'll soon see if Diachkova can back her words and unseat Smilla Sundell at ONE Fight Night 22.
Natalia Diachkova can't wait to see what the fuzz is all about against Smilla Sundell
Quite frankly, Diachkova doesn't see anything special with the towering Smilla Sundell.
Despite 'The Hurricane's perfect 4-0 run in the world's largest martial arts organization, the Russian challenger enters this bout with the utmost confidence in her own abilities.
The Team Mehdi Zatout representative told ONE:
"I don't dwell on this at all. I am not scared, I am excited and happy. All I want is to get into the ring with her to see what is so interesting about her, what everyone is talking about."
Prime Video subscribers in the United States and Canada can witness ONE Fight Night 22 as it happens, live on US Primetime free of charge.