“That came normal to me” – Smilla Sundell recalls the rib-crushing body hook she used against Natalia Diachkova
Smilla Sundell earned her fifth-straight win under the ONE Championship banner, dispatching Russian standout Natalia Diachkova with a crushing body blow.
Returning to the legendary Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, 'The Hurricane' sought to keep her 'O' intact against a veritable knockout artist in Diachkova — a fighter who had KO'd three of her last four opponents with extreme prejudice.
In the early opening round, Diachkova looked undeniably strong, putting pressure on Sundell and even taking her off her feet at one point. However, the success wouldn't last as the Swedish teen phenom turned up the heat in the second and uncorked a brutal hook to the body that sent the 'Karelian Lynx' crashing to the canvas.
Looking back on the impressive finish in a recent interview with Sportskeeda MMA, Sundell suggested that the blow that ended things against Diachkova is among her favorites and tends to come naturally to her:
"I love my body hook. That’s one of my favorites. That came normal to me."
Smilla Sundell expects to fight for the vacated strawweight Muay Thai title
As impressive as the win was for Smilla Sundell, her victory at ONE Fight Night 22 was shrouded in a dark cloud. 24 hours before stepping inside the ring, 'The Hurricane' surrendered her ONE strawweight Muay Thai world championship after weighing in over the 125-pound limit.
As a result, Sundell went into the fight no longer the champion and ineligible to leave the Mecca of Muay Thai with it strapped around her waist.
Sundell anticipates that her next fight will be an opportunity to reclaim the strawweight title, allowing her to erase the mistake of her past and leave the belt on her own accord:
"I would like to get my belt back, and I think I'd do one more fight in this weight division, and I want to leave the belt on my own [accord]. Like, not on the scales, I don't like it."
If you missed any of the action, you can watch the ONE Fight Night 22 replay on demand via Amazon Prime Video in the United States and Canada.