Stella Hemetsberger’s Meteoric Rise Continues As Austria’s First Champion Chases Two-Sport Glory
Six months separated Stella “Always Hungry” Hemetsberger from anonymity and world championship gold. The Austrian striker entered 2025 still building her name through ONE Friday Fights, the weekly series where fighters battle for contracts and recognition.
By September, she stood as ONE Women’s Strawweight Muay Thai World Champion, becoming Austria’s first-ever ONE titleholder through sheer appetite and refusal to wilt under pressure.
Now she returns to kickboxing — her foundation discipline — chasing two-sport glory against Jackie Buntan at ONE Fight Night 40 on Prime Video inside Bangkok’s Lumpinee Stadium on February 13. The rise happened so quickly that even Hemetsberger struggles to process the transformation from regional ruler to divisional queen.
March established the trajectory when she outclassed Anna Lia Moretti at ONE Friday Fights 99 in strawweight kickboxing action, her second consecutive victory in the discipline after debuting with a win over Chellina Chirino.
The 26-year-old then made a quick turnaround for her promotional Muay Thai debut against Vanessa Romanowski, dropping the Polish-Swedish bruiser with a punishing right kick to the rib cage that ended proceedings at 1:44 of the opening round. The early knockout improved her record to 3-0 in the promotion and earned the Salzburg native a US$100,000 contract to compete on ONE’s main roster.
“Winning the contract was really special. It was a dream come true at that time because that was what I came here for. It was unbelievable. But I worked hard toward that dream, and I knew it would have been something that I’d have accomplished at some point,” she said.
What came next defined not just Hemetsberger’s year but her entire career. A main event clash against Buntan for the vacant ONE Strawweight Muay Thai World Championship in her American primetime debut at ONE Fight Night 35 in September.
The Filipino-American athlete entered as the favorite, but the RS-Gym and Phuket Fight Club striker’s hunger proved greater. She weathered Buntan’s early aggression, dropped her twice in the opening round, and refused to crack under the pressure of the biggest moment of her life. When the final bell sounded, she’d outworked and outfought the Boxing Works affiliate to impress all three judges.
“I’m very happy with my performance against Jackie. I showed everyone that I can fight and win against the best. So, that’s a very important thing for me. It gave me the belief that I can beat the best,” Hemetsberger said.
“Last year was amazing. I accomplished a goal [of winning the ONE World Title]. A really big one. It was a result of years of hard work and dedication that turned dreams into reality.”
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