Smilla Sundell may look unassuming to most, but the teen has terrorized the ONE Championship strawweight Muay Thai division since her arrival. The 19-year-old has been a dominant force and wears the ONE Strawweight Muay Thai World Championship around her waist.
At ONE Fight Night 22, Smilla Sundell, the Swedish striker will defend the crown against Natalia Diachkova.
She is preparing for the next title defense by sitting under the learning tree of the greats, including ONE Featherweight Muay Thai World Champion Tawanchai PK Saenchai.
“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,” Sundell told ONE.
“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.”
After the seminar, “The Hurricane” even got to experience 60 seconds inside the ring against her fellow ONE World Champion. It was an experience she will never forget.
“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,” Sundell remarked.
“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.”
Sundell gets to rub elbows with many other greats at her gym, Fairtex Training Center.
One of her close friends is three-sport queen Stamp Fairtex. Although Stamp has seen international fame grow with her success, Sundell says everything has stayed the same with the dynamic Thai superstar.
“She’s always been a happy girl and trains hard every day. She’s basically the same, funny girl. Still hungry (to get wins),” Sundell admitted.
Being around greatness is an educational experience. Sundell has been able to see what makes legends as she crafts her own legacy, allowing her to learn and grow more quickly than others.
Watching Stamp ascend to the height of the sport has inspired even more confidence to take advantage of every moment in the gym.
“I think I learned that you can achieve whatever you like as long as you put in the work. But I learned that from my parents too. But maybe more practical, in a sense, because Stamp did it in martial arts,” Sundell said.
ONE Fight Night 22 on Prime Video airs live on Friday, May 3, at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT. The event is free for all Amazon Prime members based in the U.S. and Canada.