5 Fast Facts About Teenage Muay Thai World Title Challenger Smilla Sundell
Smilla “The Hurricane” Sundell will make her second appearance in ONE Championship on Friday, 22 April, and the stakes couldn’t be higher.
The 17-year-old Swedish phenom takes on American Jackie Buntan for the inaugural ONE Women’s Strawweight Muay Thai World Title at ONE: Eersel vs. Sadikovic, and there’s a lot of intrigue surrounding her matchup at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.
Before the Fairtex upstart battles the hard-hitting rising star from Boxing Works, here are five little-known facts about “The Hurricane.”
#1 She Competed Against A Guy
Last year, Sundell had the chance to fight on a local Fairtex card in Pattaya, Thailand, but there was just one catch – the only available opponent at her weight was a male Thai teenager.
Being the competitor that she is, “The Hurricane” laced up the gloves and stepped into the ring to face Bongsak Sitpholek.
The bout lasted less than one round. And if you’re wondering who got their hand raised, you might be surprised.
“I won by body punch,” Sundell recalls.
#2 She Trains With Superstars
It’s not surprising to learn that Sundell can go toe-to-toe with anyone considering she works with some of the top competitors in ONE Championship.
The teenager hones her craft at Fairtex Academy alongside the likes of former atomweight kickboxing and Muay Thai queen Stamp Fairtex and #1-ranked bantamweight Muay Thai contender Saemapetch Fairtex.
This gives “The Hurricane” firsthand access to some of the greatest strikers out there, which helped her tremendously in her ONE debut against Diandra Martin at ONE: FULL CIRCLE in February.
That night, Sundell scored an impressive third-round TKO win over the Australian and shot her name right into the spotlight.
#3 She’s Tight With ‘Clubber’
Sundell also has friends outside of Fairtex who compete in ONE, including WBC Muay Thai World Champion Sean “Clubber” Clancy.
“He helped me in the beginning, he’s always helped me,” she says of the Irishman. “He’s always been by my side.”
With pals like Clancy, it’s no wonder why Sundell has developed such an exciting striking style. After all, Clancy’s matchup with Pongsiri PK.Saenchai was declared one of the top five ONE Super Series fights of 2020.
Now, “The Hurricane” will look to make this year’s list and capture inaugural gold at the same time.
#4 She’s Traveled The World
Sundell moved to Thailand when she was 12 years old, but the Southeast Asian country isn’t the only place she’s visited outside of Sweden.
The teenager has also spent time in Egypt, Denmark, China, and even Australia, which features her favorite city to date.
“I like the weather,” she says of Brisbane. “And the people are nice.”
But if Sundell could visit any nation in the world, she wants to return to China, as she only toured there at a young age on a family trip.
“I can’t really remember anything, so I would like to go back there,” she adds.
#5 Her Favorite Foods Are Chicken And Chocolate
During fight camps, Sundell is disciplined not only with her training – but with her nutrition as well.
Chicken is one of her favorite sources of protein and go-to food choices in Thailand, especially because there’s so much readily available.
However, she also likes to indulge in something a little sweeter every now and then.
“I love anything with chocolate,” Sundell says.
Don’t ask “The Hurricane” to pick between her favorite foods, though. She can’t choose, but she’d apparently be open to trying a unique combination of chocolate-covered chicken.
“Why not?” she adds.
