Austria’s Stella Hemetsberger has risen to the pinnacle of Muay Thai and kickboxing with two commanding performances, and she believes another one is on the horizon at ONE Fight Night 46.
The ONE women’s strawweight Muay Thai and kickboxing world champion puts her Muay Thai crown on the line against Russian fighter Natalia Diachkova in the main event of the U.S. primetime card, which goes down inside Bangkok’s Lumpinee Stadium this Friday, August 14.
Hemetsberger has looked nothing short of perfect since joining the promotion, going 3-0 against elite opposition before coming out on top in back-to-back five-round battles against Jackie Buntan to become a two-sport world champion.
Another tough test awaits her in Muay Thai’s most historic venue, but the Austrian who carries the fight moniker “Always Hungry” is ready to remind fight fans and her opponent just what she’s made of on fight night. The 27-year-old said:
“My mindset hasn’t changed. I’m always working hard, and my main goal is to become better, evolve, and get more skills as a fighter. Of course, I have two belts to defend, but the main goal is to give my best performance. My motto will be ‘Always Hungry.’ I am very, very hungry to win the fight and defend my belt.”
Hunger is nothing without the necessary skills to match it, though. Beyond the belief that her appetite for success is second to none, the Phuket Fight Club athlete reckons she has the necessary tools to get her hand raised against Diachkova. Hemetsberger added:
“I’m confident in my weapons. I’m confident in my cardio, I’m confident in my hands. I’m also confident in my technical game, and my body kicks. So yeah, as a whole, I’m confident in everything I bring to the table.”
Hemetsberger respects what Diachkova brings to the table
Hemetsberger is clearly not lacking self-belief as she prepares for her first defense. That said, the 27-year-old from Salzburg maintains respect for Diachkova’s ability to put opponents to sleep.
The Russian heads into this clash just three months removed from a first-round knockout of Fahsai Aor Yutthachai at ONE Friday Fights 152, which marked her fourth finish in ONE Championship. The defending titleholder pointed out:
“She has powerful hands. She has done well to earn her title shot. It’s also not my first time watching my opponents’ fights and seeing people getting knocked out. Her power is something that we have taken into consideration for our preparation.”
When asked for her prediction, Hemetsberger preferred to let her performance at ONE Fight Night 46 do the talking. She shared:
“It doesn’t matter whether the finish comes. If the knockout comes, it comes. If it doesn’t, it doesn’t. But my prediction is ‘And still, Stella Hemetsberger.’ The goal of this fight is just to put on a good performance and come out on top.”
