Hemetsberger Defends Muay Thai Title by Knockout

Stella Hemetsberger defended her ONE Women’s Strawweight Muay Thai World Title for the first time, stopping Natalia Diachkova by knockout in the third round at ONE Fight Night 46 in Bangkok.

A left kick to the liver, twice

The contest ignited at Lumpinee Stadium. After a cautious opening round, Hemetsberger took control in the second by firing right hands and smothering Diachkova’s punching exchanges with clinch entries.

In round three, the Austrian drove a left kick into Diachkova’s liver that visibly hurt the Russian challenger. She landed the same strike to the exact same spot moments later, and as Diachkova turned toward the ropes, a three-punch combination and a knee forced the referee to wave off the bout at the 1:46 mark.

Two sports, one reign

The victory lifted Hemetsberger’s professional record to 11-1 and earned a US$50,000 performance bonus. She simultaneously holds the ONE Women’s Strawweight Kickboxing World Title, a belt she won by defeating Jackie Buntan this past February.

That makes her only the third two-sport women’s champion in ONE Championship history, and Austria’s first-ever ONE World Champion. The challenger, Diachkova, arrived with a 32-5 career record and six wins inside the promotion.

The finish came roughly six months after Hemetsberger became a two-sport queen. At 27, her grip on both strawweight striking thrones looks firmer with every outing.