“I’m letting the cards play out” - Jackie Buntan says she had a shift in mindset when it comes to hunting world titles

It’s true that capturing a world title is the pinnacle of one’s career, and Jackie Buntan is no different. She’ll just take her time in reaching that goal, though.

The Filipino-American star already got within striking distance of a world title when she fought Smilla Sundell for the inaugural ONE women’s strawweight world championship at ONE 156.

Buntan, however, failed to cash in the opportunity and lost via unanimous decision to the towering Swede.

That loss ultimately caused a shift in Buntan’s mindset when chasing glory.

In an interview with the South China Morning Post, Jackie Buntan said:

“Of course, you want to be a world champion, no doubt. For sure. I mean that any combat athlete's dream is to obtain that world title, and the fact that I was able to compete for it, so early into my pro career. You know, going into that fight, of course there's so much pressure. I always had it in my head that, ‘Oh by this year, this age, I'm going to have it.’ But that's kind of scratched because stuff happens in life, and yeah, you know that's definitely the main goal right now, but I'm letting the cards play out as it is.”

Buntan has since bounced back from her loss to Sundell with two highlight-reel wins against Amber Kitchen and Diandra Martin.

She was also scheduled for a rematch against the strawweight Muay Thai queen but pulled out of the ONE Fight Night 14 match due to personal reasons.

Nevertheless, Buntan can stretch her winning streak to three fights when she faces Martine Michieletto at ONE Fight Night 20 this Friday at the historic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium.

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Jackie Buntan recalls lesson she learned losing to Smilla Sundell

Losing will inevitably cause changes in anyone’s psyche, it just depends on how people handle the pain of defeat.

Jackie Buntan, herself, experienced the sting of losing a match when she fell short against Smilla Sundell in 2022.

That setback marked the first and only time Buntan didn’t have her hand raised in ONE Championship, and it’s an experience she took in stride.

In the same interview, Buntan said:

“Anybody in combat sports with the perfect record, it's inevitable that you are going to lose here and there, that's not the end all be all. That's part of the game and through that you learn so much and I definitely feel like I've learned so much. I’ve improved both mentally and physically so much as an athlete.”

ONE Fight Night 20 is an all-female card in celebration of International Women’s Day. The entire card is available live and free to all Prime Video subscribers in the United States and Canada.

Watch Jackie Buntan's entire interview below: