Strawweight Muay Thai queen Smilla Sundell admits she gets “very nervous before entering the ring” for her fights
Smilla Sundell looks perfectly at ease every time she steps inside the circle.
The reigning ONE strawweight Muay Thai world champion returns to the legendary Lumpinee Boxing Stadium on Friday, May 3, to put her 26 pounds of gold on the line against Russian standout Natalia Diachkova.
Ahead of her highly anticipated return to the 'Mecca of Muay Thai', 'The Hurricane' participated in a quickfire interview with Madz Carson, a student out of Diaz Combat Sports in Vancouver, Canada.
Asked how she feels before entering the ring for a big fight, Sundell revealed:
“I am very nervous before entering the ring but I’m also excited”
You'd certainly never know it looking at any one of Smilla Sundell's performances.
Through four appearances with the promotion, 'The Hurricane' is a perfect 4-0 with big wins over the likes of Aussie standout Diandra Martin, Boxing Works star Jackie Buntan, and ONE atomweight Muay Thai titleholder Allycia Hellen Rodrigues.
When she returns to the action at ONE Fight Night 21, she'll take another fierce competitor who has yet to suffer a loss inside the circle.
Natalia Diachkova knows her game plan against Smilla Sundell — but she's not sharing
Making her promotional debut a year ago, Team Mehdi Zatout product Natalia Diachkova immediately made a name for herself, earning back-to-back first-round knockouts against Dokmaipa Fairtex and Lena Nocker.
The 'Karelian Lynx' followed that up with a win over Hanna Brady via unanimous decision before adding another knockout to her resume, putting away 82-win veteran Chellina Chirino in less than two minutes.
Ahead of facing off against Smilla Sundell at ONE Fight Night 21, Diachkova refused to share insight into her game plan going into the biggest fight of her career, but she does believe it will come down to one thing, as is the case with all her fights:
"I'm not gonna tell you my plan," Diachkova said. "I'm gonna say, hard work. I gotta work, same as usual."
Who leaves 'The Land of Smiles' with the ONE strawweight Muay Thai world title around their waist?
ONE Championship fans in the United States can watch ONE Fight Night 22 live and for free in U.S. primetime on Friday, May 3.