“I’m Confident I Can Beat Her” – Swedish Teenage Smilla Sundell Eyes Record ONE World Championship Win Against Jackie Buntan

Published 04/20/2022, 8:00 AM EDT

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Smilla “The Hurricane” Sundell has only one thing in mind when she squares off against Jackie Buntan on Friday, 22 April–to leave the Circle with the inaugural ONE Women’s Strawweight Muay Thai World Title.

The teenage sensation burst onto the ONE Super Series roster with a dominant outing against Australian Diandra Martin at ONE: FULL CIRCLE. Sundell knocked out her rival with two hooks and a straight left in the third round during their 128-pound catchweight Muay Thai contest in February.

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She is brimming with confidence after that win. Now, Sundell thinks she can take out Buntan at ONE: Eersel vs. Sadikovic with the same weapons that took her past her last foe in her promotional debut.

“I trained for her style, and I’m confident I can beat her. I think I’m taller than her. And I’m also very aggressive. But I think she’s good. So I think she will figure it out,” the 17-year-old pointed out.

“I think she might be faster than me, but my cardio is very good. So I think I’ll be good too. In terms of power, it’s hard to say right now who has more of it.”

Both stars possess dangerous artillery within their striking department, and Sundell knows this will decide the outcome of their scheduled five-round war inside the Singapore Indoor Stadium.

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Sundell has kept her “art of eight limbs” weapons potent by training alongside former two-sport World Champion Stamp Fairtex at the Fairtex Training Center in Pattaya, Thailand.

Though she has only competed once at the Singapore-based promotion, Sundell reckons that experience should not be a problem against Buntan, an athlete who has already thrilled the global fanbase with three successive wins.

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“I think I’m okay [despite the lack of experience inside the Circle]. We’ll see in that ring. I do think I’m new in ONE Championship. But I do have a lot of experience here in Thailand and fought the best here,” she stated.

“So I think I do deserve it [the shot at the World Title]. She’s going to be surprised with my style.”

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A victory for the Swedish teenage dynamo will make her the first teenage World Champion in ONE Championship. Based on what she has had to say, “The Hurricane” looks certain to best Buntan and write her name into the history books.

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Download the ONE Super App to catch all the action from ONE: Eersel vs. Sadikovic live on Friday, 22 April.

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Written by:

Deepak Kumar

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Deepak Kumar is a UFC author at EssentiallySports. His love for MMA comes from the chaos and violence the fight game brings to the table. A BJJ aspirant, Deepak began following the sport as a casual fan when Ronda Rousey was finishing her opponents in seconds.
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Edited by:

Vibhanshu Kumar