ONE Fight Night 22 can be seen live on Saturday morning from 1am on the Sky Sports Arena and in the main event. Fans will be treated to an exciting night of martial arts action, including Smilla Sundell vs. Natalia Diachkova.
With a main event for the world title in Bangkok and multiple contests set to shake the foundations of their respective divisions, there are plenty of talking points on the card…
The historic 19-year-old world champion returns
ONE Women’s Strawweight Muay Thai World Champion Smilla Sundell made an immediate impact in the largest combat sports organization in the world, winning the division’s first crown at just 17 years old.
While her friends and classmates were looking forward to college, Sundell was busy knocking out opponents like Diandra Martin, Jackie Buntan and atomweight Muay Thai queen Allycia Hellen Rodrigues – and she shows no signs of stopping in front of her 20th birthday slows down.
It’s been two years since she won the crown and now her batting talent is among, if not the best, on the planet. Achieving so much at 19 is nothing to sneeze at.
Each opponent has tested Sundell, but her past doesn’t compare to the toughest task she faces this weekend, Russia’s Natalia Diachkova.
Diachkova is as unforgiving as they come. Since entering the ONE Championship in early 2023, the 29-year-old star has claimed four wins – three by first-round knockout – to secure a shot at the world title.
Swedish teenager Sundell continued to defy the odds in every game and will look to reach new heights against the impressive Diachkova.
Someone’s 0 has to go!
Akbar Abdullaev meets his unbeaten featherweight colleague Halil Amir
The co-main event sees two undefeated 10-0 talents collide as Akbar Abdullaev meets Halil Amir in a featherweight MMA showdown that has huge implications for the division’s top-five rankings.
Abdullaev has been flawless throughout his young MMA career, defeating all of his opponents within the distance. And he’s brought that same fire to ONE championship with back-to-back knockout victories – first defeating Oh Ho Taek in 44 seconds, and then needing just 41 seconds to hand Aaron Canarte the first loss of his pro career.
However, he will be pushed to his limits when he meets Amir, who is moving up to the featherweight division after a successful stint in lightweight MMA.
The Turk took three wins in the race, two of them by knockout. The step up to featherweight is noticeable for Amir and he believes whoever emerges victorious in the co-main event will be even closer to his world title dreams.
Will Haggerty emerge as his first kickboxing world title challenger?
Before that, there will be a huge affair in bantamweight kickboxing as former world champion Hiroki Akimoto and hot new recruit Wei Rui try to prepare for the next crack at the SOME bantamweight kickboxing world title from two-sport king Jonathan Haggerty. to prepare.
Hiroki Akimoto’s victory over Wei Rui could give him a chance to take on Jonathan Haggerty
Akimoto has not been in action since the gold loss in October 2022. With the changes made and adjustments completed, the Japanese striker is ready to catch Haggerty’s attention. But he will have a lot of work ahead of him.
Wei, a landmark signing, has long been considered one of the top ten strikers.
The former K-1 World Champion and K-1 Grand Prix Champion debuts at ONE with a mission statement – and that is to take over the largest combat sports organization in the world. Defeating a former champion in Akimoto will cement his status as a true contender for Haggerty.
Watch One Championship 22 live on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Arena from 1am on Saturday Stream with NOW.
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