Russian knockout artist Natalia “Karelian Lynx” Diachkova sees more than one path to victory against defending ONE Strawweight Muay Thai World Champion Smilla “The Hurricane” Sundell.
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On May 3 in U.S. primetime in the main event of ONE Fight Night 22 on Prime Video, Diachkova will challenge the Swede for her gold as she looks to establish herself as a global superstar.
That contest will go down at Bangkok’s Lumpinee Boxing Stadium – in the same ring where the Russian has put together a 4-0 ONE record with a trio of first-round, highlight-reel knockouts.
Natalia Diachkova is confident in her skill sets before her title fight
Despite that run of dominance, Diachkova’s quick finishes have left some doubt about her overall skill set and how she might fair against a World Champion like Sundell.
But “Karelian Lynx” says she’s only shown a glimpse of her full potential.
As she explains, she’s confident she can take out “The Hurricane” with either her vicious boxing attack or her close-range clinch weapons:
“I have many advantages. I am underestimated in the clinch and generally in everything that I have not yet had time to show. My advantages are my hard punches and working with combinations, as well as my experience.”
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“I can win with strong punches, but anything can happen in the ring. Maybe I’ll beat her by clinching for five rounds. Who knows?”
Natalia Diachkova predicts a knockout victory in her next fight
For her part, Sundell has also looked unstoppable in ONE, taking out World Title challengers and elite strikers with relative ease.
Diachkova, though, isn’t intimidated by the young phenom or what she brings to the table.
Instead, the soon-to-be World Title challenger remains supremely focused on her own skills and her own game plan.
Now just days away from the biggest opportunity of her career, Diachkova is predicting a knockout at ONE Fight Night 22:
“This is how the fight will go: I will follow the plan. I will remain focused and cold-blooded. I will fight smart. If I connect and hit her – and I will – I will finish her.”