Smilla Sundell praises potential challengers Ekaterina Vandaryeva and Jackie Buntan for their recent victories
Smilla Sundell is interested in potentially fighting Ekaterina Vandaryeva and Jackie Buntan (rematch) in the future.
There aren't many female fighters in ONE Championship history that have been more impressive than Sundell. At 19 years old, 'The Hurricane' has established promotional records of 3-0 in Muay Thai and 1-0 in kickboxing, including two wins for the ONE women's strawweight world title in "The Art of Eight Limbs."
Sundell has asserted her dominance in the women's strawweight divisions, but several fighters are on her radar. During an interview with the South China Morning Post, the Swedish world champion had this to say about Ekaterina Vandaryeva and Jackie Buntan:
"But I think Ekaterina has been also having many fights in ONE, so it would be fun to fight someone new. But Jackie is always up there because she's doing well for herself. So yeah, anyone really."
On March 8, Vandaryeva ended her four-fight skid by defeating Martyna Kierczynska. 'Barbie' now looks to utilize her acquired experience to potentially establish a winning streak and earn a title shot.
Meanwhile, Buntan suffered a unanimous decision loss against Sundell in April 2022. Since then, the American has bounced back with three consecutive wins, including a unanimous decision against Martine Michieletto last time out.
Watch Smilla Sundell's entire interview with SCMP below:
Smilla Sundell must focus on upcoming title defenses before considering other contenders
On May 3, Smilla Sundell looks to extend her ONE women's strawweight Muay Thai world title reign. To do so, the 19-year-old must emerge victorious in the ONE Fight Night 22 main event against Natalia Diachkova, who holds a promotional record of 4-0, including three wins by first-round knockout.
ONE Fight Night 22 will take place inside the iconic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand. The event featuring various action-packed matchups can be seen live and for free by North American viewers with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription.