Stella Hemetsberger's first title defense has a name and a date. ONE Championship has announced that the two-sport ONE World Champion will defend her ONE Women's Strawweight Muay Thai World Title against Russian knockout machine Natalia Diachkova at ONE Fight Night 46 on Saturday, August 15.
The 27-year-old Austrian began her ONE journey on the ONE Friday Fights circuit, claiming three consecutive victories to earn a US$100,000 main roster contract before making the most of her opportunity on the biggest stage.
She challenged then-ONE Women's Strawweight Kickboxing World Champion Jackie Buntan for the vacant ONE Women's Strawweight Muay Thai World Title in a gruelling five-round war, emerging with a unanimous decision victory.
Five months later, she faced Buntan again, this time for her kickboxing crown. The two warriors stood their ground for another five-round battle, and once again the judges sided with the Austrian, delivering a split-decision verdict that made Hemetsberger a two-sport ONE World Champion. In doing so, she joined an elite group that currently includes only Stamp and Janet Todd as women to hold that distinction in ONE Championship history.
Now carrying a 10-1 striking record and a perfect 5-0 ONE record into her first Muay Thai title defense, the RS-GYM and Phuket Fight Club product faces a challenger who has taken a strikingly similar path to the top.
Diachkova, 31, also launched her ONE career through the ONE Friday Fights series in 2023, stringing together four victories to claim her own six-figure contract in 2024. The Team Mehdi Zatout product made her shot at title gold count the hard way, falling short in her first challenge before bouncing back with two consecutive victories to reassert herself as the division's most dangerous contender.
Her 32-5 career record and 6-1 ONE record with four knockouts paint the picture of a finishing machine who is more than capable of ending a night in spectacular fashion.
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