ONE Championship

A 31-year-old challenger with a habit of ending fights early gets a second crack at the title that got away from her once before.

Natalia Diachkova challenges two-sport World Champion Stella Hemetsberger for the ONE Women's Strawweight Muay Thai World Title in the main event of ONE Fight Night 46, streaming live in US primetime this Friday, August 14, from Bangkok's Lumpinee Stadium. The Russian opened her ONE Championship run with four consecutive wins on the weekly series to earn a six-figure contract in 2024, three of them by knockout.

Her first World Title opportunity did not go her way, but two statement victories since have put her back in line for another shot. Four of her six wins under the ONE banner have come by first-round knockout, a finishing rate that marks her as one of the division's most explosive strikers, most recently a stoppage of Fahsai Aor Yutthachai at ONE Friday Fights 152 this past May.

“For a long time, I've been tortured by injustice. Maybe I imagined it myself, though, but I just couldn't explain some things to myself. Like, why do I train for so many years, and I failed psychologically in the title fight? Why is it always this way,†she said.

Natalia Diachkova brings early finishes to Lumpinee

Hemetsberger has built her championship run on five-round composure rather than single knockout moments, closing out both of her title-winning fights against Jackie Buntan over the full distance. Diachkova's game plan operates on the opposite clock entirely.

Whichever quality wins out on August 14, early knockout power against proven championship-rounds composure, will decide who leaves Lumpinee Stadium still holding two-sport gold.

“I realized that everything that happened to me was for a reason, and I guess I'm thankful for it. All the changes that ought to have happened to me happened, and now I'm exactly where I should be,†she said.

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Zuffa LLC

Islam Makhachev refuses to kick Ilia Topuria while he is down.

Topuria was riding a wave of momentum and had seemingly been on the fast track to legendary status before Justin Gaethje provided a reality check. “El Matador†became a two-division champion rather quickly, and he was sure that his first lightweight title defense would be a successful one at UFC Freedom 250 back in June. Despite having some success and even dropping Gaethje with a body shot, it was clear that “The Highlight†was doing significant damage with his boxing.

Topuria kept moving forward, which ultimately was his downfall. He reportedly suffered a broken orbital before failing to get off his stool for the final round. Gaethje handed Topuria the first loss of his pro MMA career via fourth-round corner stoppage.

While one might've expected Makhachev to pour salt in the wound given Topuria's desire to fight him, that's not the case. Speaking to UFC Hall of Famer Demetrious Johnson, Makhachev said he hopes to see “El Matador†make a strong comeback.

“He's still young bro, he has time. I hope he will come back,†Makhachev said. “Ilia's a good fighter bro. He has good punches, good wrestling. If he focuses, maybe he'll be champion again. But this fight changed his life. But we don't know which way.â€

Topuria has been seen in public without his sunglasses, and it appears his face has been healing quickly. Some are still wondering if the beating Topuria suffered against Gaethje will lead to him being more hesitant when striking. Topuria's boxing had been his bread and butter, and it earned him huge knockouts over the likes of Alexander Volkanovski, Max Holloway, and Charles Oliveira.

Are you surprised by Islam Makhachev's encouraging words for Ilia Topuria? Sound off in the comments below.

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Zuffa LLC

Umar Nurmagomedov takes exception to Merab Dvalishvili's actions during the inaugural Real American Freestyle show.

Back in July, Dvalishvili had a skirmish with Nurmagomedov's friend in the crowd. For years, “The Machine†has alleged that Nurmagomedov's team has heckled him, which has led to some crowd and backstage incidents at events. As far as the former UFC bantamweight titleholder's foe is concerned, the brawls expose a lack of composure and professionalism.

During an interview with Adam Zubayraev, Nurmagomedov criticized Dvalishvili for not keeping himself under control during shows (via MMAFighting).

“He's the one who has to live with it,†Nurmagomedov said. “For example, can you imagine a Georgian coming up to me in Dagestan? … If a Georgian tells me not to talk to Merab, and I hit him from behind and insult him in my own language, I can't imagine myself doing that. But as a person, how do you live with that?

“And the people who defend it, that means there's something wrong there. You have to call wrong things wrong. No matter who does it.â€

Nurmagomedov and Dvalishvili could be on the road to an eventual rematch at some point. Nurmagomedov fell short in his bid to capture the UFC Bantamweight Championship from “The Machine†back in early 2025. Dvalishvili won the fight via unanimous decision, but there has been no love lost between the two.

That rematch will have to wait, as Dvalishvili is rumored to be challenging Petr Yan for the 135-pound gold in a trilogy fight this fall. Meanwhile, Nurmagomedov is set for an Aug. 29 showdown with Song Yadong in Shanghai. If both Nurmagomedov and Dvalishvili emerge victorious in their next fight, then talks of part two would likely grow louder.

Do you think we'll eventually see a rematch between Umar Nurmagomedov and Merab Dvalishvili? Let us know what you think in the comments below.

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