19-year-old Smilla Sundell defends her strap against Natalia “Karelian Lynx” Diachkova in the main event of ONE Fight Night 22
Lito “Thunder Kid” Adiwang believes ONE Strawweight Muay Thai World Champion Smilla “The Hurricane” Sundell has all the tools to continue her impressive reign.
The 19-year-old defends her strap against Natalia “Karelian Lynx” Diachkova in the main event of ONE Fight Night 22 on 4 May at Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.
Adiwang doesn’t see the Swede having an easy fight against Diachkova – a fighter who has won all four of her bouts in ONE Championship – but he believes Sundell can handle the Russian’s pressure.
“I think this match is going to end up being a very technical match. Still, the edge goes to the champ, Sundell, in this match,” he said.
“One thing she should look at against Diachkova is her power and boxing. But if she keeps her composure against Diachkova’s pressure and counter effectively, I’ll definitely be taking Sundell.”
In Sundell, Adiwang sees a smart fighter who knows how to pressure, disengage, and counter effectively.
Sundell displayed those assets in her match against ONE Atomweight Muay Thai World Champion Allycia Hellen Rodrigues, answering everything the Brazilian threw at her.
“She’s got the advantage when it comes to timing and her rhythm in Muay Thai,” Adiwang said.
“Another one of those advantages is her reach. She’s very tall, she uses her height to her advantage, and she knows how to use it for her Muay Thai. She can pressure as well if she needs to, but she can also hang back and look for counters, and that’s her advantage.”
What’s even more impressive is that Sundell is only 19 years old. However, Adiwang warns her future opponents to stop judging her by her age.
“She might be young, but her level of experience with all her competition and training in the gym is different,” Adiwang said.
“The level of the people she’s training with daily and the people she’s faced makes her different.”