ONE Championship: Smilla Sundell says Muay Thai title defence against Anissa Meksen would be ‘very cool’
- Strawweight champ welcomes fight with Meksen, whose claims for a kickboxing title shot at atomweight have gone unheeded
- Thailand-based Swede, 17, is full of confidence after recent training sessions with Khamzat Chimaev and Stamp Fairtex
ONE Championship strawweight Muay Thai queen Smilla Sundell is willing to defend her title against anybody – and that includes atomweight striking superstar Anissa Meksen.
Meksen is considered one of the top female strikers on the planet, regardless of division, and after lopsided victories over Christina Morales and Marie Ruumet in the ONE Circle, the Algerian-French talent is adamant she deserves a title shot.
Sundell would be happy to grant her that opportunity.
“I can do that,” the 17-year-old told the Post when asked about fighting Meksen. “I would do that. I’ll fight anyone. I like challenges.
“That would be very cool actually, because she’s got a big name.”
Sundell fights one division north of the 34-year-old Meksen, so the two would not ordinarily be on each other’s radar. However, Meksen might consider moving up to fight the Swede based on the complicated situation in her own weight class.
ONE: Meksen slams ‘incomprehensible’ Todd-Fernandez bout, demands title shot
Reigning ONE atomweight kickboxing champion Janet Todd has not defended her title since she won it with a decision over Stamp Fairtex in February of 2020, and is now set to battle the debuting Lara Fernandez for the promotion’s interim atomweight Muay Thai title at ONE 159 on July 22 in Singapore.
That has effectively deprived Meksen of the opportunity to fight for a belt in either sport at present.
Sundell’s willingness to fight a juggernaut like Meksen can be attributed, in part, to her training. The 17-year-old is full of confidence after recent training sessions with ONE Championship stars like Stamp Fairtex, Rodtang Jitmuangnon and Superbon Singha Mawynn.
“It’s very cool to be meet everyone in person,” she said. “Everyone’s so nice. I get new techniques from everyone. It’s very inspiring.”
She also recently did some training with UFC superstar Khamzat Chimaev during a visit to Allstars Training Center in her native Sweden.
“I trained alongside him and he’s very good,” Sundell said of Chimaev. “I trained in the same class as him, it was very cool.
“I watched him training and he’s well-rounded and very strong and good.”
Now back in Thailand, Sundell is hoping to fight again one more time before the year is out, whether it’s against Meksen or another contender in the strawweight Muay Thai division.
From there, she is interested in trying her hand at kickboxing, and ultimately, MMA – though she admits that is probably a long way off.
“I think kickboxing, it won’t have to be too long because it’s very similar to Muay Thai, but MMA is a different kind of thing, so I think will take like two years maybe,” she said.
