Stella Hemetsberger's first title defense ended exactly the way her championship reign has always promised.
The two-sport ONE World Champion stopped Natalia Diachkova with a devastating body kick knockout in the third round of the main event of ONE Fight Night 46 on August 15, retaining her ONE Women's Strawweight Muay Thai World Championship and pocketing a US$50,000 performance bonus.
The finish came with clinical precision. Two rounds of action had already played out when Hemetsberger drove a body kick into Diachkova that sent the Russian retreating toward the ring ropes. The Austrian champion followed immediately, landing another body kick before unleashing a combination of punches and a knee attack.
"I just tried to listen to my corner, and they were calling for a body [shot]. So that's what I tried to execute," she said.
The victory extended Hemetsberger's unbeaten ONE record to six consecutive wins, taking her career record to 11-1 and marking her first successful Muay Thai title defense.
For a champion who had spoken before the fight about letting her performance do the talking, the third-round finish delivered exactly that, and the Austrian was understandably satisfied with how the night unfolded.
"I'm very happy that I could let my performance speak in the ring. Like I said before the fight, she's a good fighter, but I could show today that I was better. And I'm very happy I could put in a good performance," she explained.
With the Muay Thai strap still firmly around her waist, attention turns to what comes next for one of ONE Championship's most dominant two-sport queens.
Hemetsberger made clear that her focus remains locked on the two disciplines that have already brought her so much success, shutting down any immediate talk of a move to MMA while leaving the door open for the future.
"Whoever comes up, I'm happy to fight whoever comes up. We'll see. MMA is not on the plan right now. I'd like to focus on the two disciplines I am doing already. Never say never, but right now it's not on the plan," she added.
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