SUMMARY
- Smilla Sundell will defend her Strawweight Muay Thai World Championship against Natalia Diachkova at ONE Fight Night 22.
- Ahead of the bout, Sundell received help from a popular male ONE Championship title holder.
ONE Strawweight Muay Thai World Champion Smilla Sundell has been adding some new tools to her formidable arsenal ahead of her next title defense.
“The Hurricane” puts her 26-pound gold belt on the line against Russian knockout artist Natalia Diachkova in the ONE Fight Night 22 on Prime Video headliner. The blockbuster clash goes down at Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, on May 3.
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Sundell has shocked the world with her relentless fighting style and maturity beyond her years. The scary part is that she is still only 19 years old, meaning the Swedish star still has a long way to go before reaching her peak. Now, Sundell has levelled up once again with the help of another ONE superstar.
Smilla Sundell trains with Muay Thai World Champion Tawanchai PK Saenchai
Smilla Sundell has shared the ring with ONE Featherweight Muay Thai World Champion Tawanchai PK Saenchai to prepare for Natalia Diachkova at ONE Fight Night 22 on Prime Video. In a recent interview with ONE Championship, Sundell explained how she found herself working with Tawanchai.
“I did his seminar in Bangkok at PK Saenchai with my friend Matt. We went there and wanted to learn some new skills and see how he did seminars because I want to go to America after my fight to do seminars. I’ve done one now, and I like teaching, so it was fun,” she said.
“I just wanted to see other people doing it too. He had some good tricks, so I learned some new stuff. He taught me some small tricks, like how to do a push kick differently, which was cool.”
Tawanchai has won eight of his nine fights under the ONE banner, and he has held the flyweight Muay Thai crown since 2022. Needless to say, he has a few tricks up his sleeve. After her training session with Tawanchai, Sundell lifted the lid on some of the traits that make the 25-year-old so strong.
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“We did drills and a one-minute sparring with him. He’s very fast and strong. He didn’t go full power in the sparring, but wow,” she said. “There’s no competition in it. He’s like a cat playing with a rat. It’s too easy for him sometimes – he doesn’t even try.”
Tawanchai is also amid his latest fight camp. The Thai superstar faces compatriot “Smokin” Jo Nattawut in a highly anticipated rematch at ONE 167: Stamp vs. Zamboanga on Prime Video on June 7.