Filipina-American striking star Jackie Buntan doesn’t expect her second shot at ONE Championship gold to come easily, but she’s confident in her capabilities to overcome, nonetheless.
Buntan takes on dangerous Anissa Meksen for the inaugural ONE Women’s Strawweight Kickboxing World Title in a loaded ONE 169: Malykhin vs. Reug Reug card inside Lumpinee Stadium on November 9 in Bangkok, Thailand.
The last time the California native competed for a ONE World Title, she was shut down by the prodigious Smilla Sundell back in 2022. It won’t be any easier this time when she faces one of the best kickboxers on the planet in Meksen.
Still, she’s willing to go lengths to get the win this time.
“I bet on myself all the time. I think I’m going to come out victorious, even if it’s a five-round war. I have a feeling this is going to be that type of fight. I know I’m going to have to bring the dog out inside of me and bring it to her,” she said.
“I do expect it to be a super entertaining fight with back-and-forth action. I just think there’s going to be more action on my end.”
She doesn’t expect to come in as the favorite in this fight, given that she’ll be transitioning from Muay Thai to kickboxing against an established great in the sport, but she embraces the position that she’s in.
It wasn’t too long ago when she debuted against Nat “Wondergirl” Jaroonsak, also as a heavy underdog, and she shocked everyone with her powerful punch combinations.
“On paper, I’m the underdog. It’s my first kickboxing fight. She has more than double the experience. She’s a multiple-time World Champion,” Buntan said.
“So, for me, it just reminds me of going into my first fight with ‘Wondergirl.’ I was a big underdog, odds stacked against me, and that’s my motivation – just go out there and showcase a new style every time I fight,” she added.
“Showcase new adaptability, be better than my last performance, and win against one of the best kickboxers.”
Having grinded for another shot at gold ever since her loss in 2022, this is an opportunity that Buntan doesn’t plan on wasting.
She’s ready to take the next step, and she vows to take the biggest one against Meksen.
“It would mean the world. Absolutely everything. You know, it’s the reason why I do this. There’s more to it, but that’s obviously the end goal, is you want to work toward something that solidifies your greatness, that solidifies your name in the sport,” she said.
“This is just the steppingstone, the first step in order to do that. I didn’t really see myself fighting professionally until my early 20s, though being able to have another chance to compete for a World Title in a different sport, it’s just an amazing opportunity that I do not take for granted at all. It means a whole lot of things to me. It’s a lifelong journey that I honestly feel like I’m just beginning.”
