3 Reasons Why You Shouldn’t Miss ONE Fight Night 22

ONE Fight Night 22: Sundell vs. Diachkova promises to be another action-packed event, and many stories are set to unfold. 

The 11-fight card event takes place inside the iconic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, this Friday, May 3. It will go out on U.S. primetime and be broadcast to over 190 countries across the globe.

The beauty of combat sports will play out across four different disciplines at ONE Fight Night 22, and we’ve broken down three reasons why it shouldn’t be missed.

Dominant Forces Square Off in the ONE Main Event

The headlining bout will see two fighters who have destroyed everyone put in front of them so far in ONE collide.

Smilla Sundell became the youngest World Champion in ONE history at just 17 years old when she defeated Jackie Buntan for the inaugural ONE Women’s Strawweight Muay Thai World Title at ONE 156 in April 2022. 

Since then, the Swedish sensation has won a kickboxing contest, and she successfully defended the coveted strap against atomweight Muay Thai queen Allycia Hellen Rodrigues in the third round of their matchup at ONE Fight Night 14 last September. 

Unfortunately, Sundell missed weight and was stripped of the World Title ahead of Friday’s bout, and she will be ineligible to win it back at ONE Fight Night 22. 

However, her challenger could take home the vacant gold if she wins. 

Russian striker Natalia Diachkova has been nothing short of brilliant in her ONE Friday Fights run. She won all four of her bouts in dominant fashion, with three coming by knockout.

Her latest victory, against Chellina Chirino at ONE Friday Fights 55 last March, earned her a six-figure contract with ONE, and she now gets a chance to claim the ultimate prize. 

An Unbeaten Streak on the line

In Friday’s co-main event, two undefeated stars will meet in a featherweight MMA showdown. 

Krygyztan’s Akbar Abdullaev is riding the momentum of back-to-back first-round stoppages in ONE, and his professional slate stands at 10-0. 

He’ll be hoping a third straight win will push him into the top five of the divisional rankings and put him on course to challenge featherweight MMA king Tang Kai.

Meanwhile, Halil Amir will look to carry over the success he enjoyed in the lightweight ranks. 

The talented Turk won all three of his bouts in the stacked division to push his record to 10-0, but he’s now decided to move down to featherweight because he believes he’ll find a new gear there.

If he retains his power after dropping the weight, Abdullaev may be in for a short night in this one. 

Contenders Fight for a Shot at Glory

At least three fights are going to move the needle in their respective divisions, and each result could put the reigning World Champions on notice. 

Former World Title challengers Dmitry Menshikov and Sinsamut Klinmee are on winning tracks, and they’re both hoping a victory at ONE Fight Night 22 will earn them another shot at ONE Lightweight Muay Thai World Title Regian Eersel.

Elsewhere, Hiroki Akimoto will be out to prove that he deserves an opportunity to reclaim the ONE Bantamweight Kickboxing World Title when he welcomes Wei Rui to ONE Championship. But the Chinese star believes he can make a statement in his promotional bow, so their battle is guaranteed to be a showstopper. 

Finally, #4-ranked flyweight MMA contender Reece McLaren will square off against #5-ranked Hu Yong in a pivotal battle for position in the rankings. The possibility of a meeting with ONE Flyweight MMA World Champion Demetrious Johnson could await the winner, so fans should expect them to throw down. 

All the action from ONE Fight Night 22 will be broadcast live and free on Prime Video for fans across North America with an active Amazon subscription on Friday, May 3.