Jackie Buntan says decision to fight just naturally fell into place: “It was another way to level myself up”

Boxing Works standout Jackie Buntan says all the necessary pieces to fuel her career in combat sports just kind of fell into place.

Making her promotional debut at ONE: Fists of Fury in February 2021, Buntan immediately made herself known in the strawweight division with an impressive decision victory over Thai fan favorite ‘Wondergirl’ Nat Jaroonsak. She followed that up with two more wins, earning her a shot at ONE Championship gold for the first time.

Speaking with Alex Wendling in a recent interview, Jackie Buntan shared some background on how she came to be a professional fighter, noting that it all just kind of happened but made perfect sense.

“I was like, you know, why not? Why not try it? It was like another way to level myself up and it kind of made sense,” Buntan said. “I could see myself doing this so it wasn't Bryan who asked me but one of the other coaches and yeah, it just kind of just skyrocketed after that.”

Challenging Smilla Sundell for the ONE strawweight Muay Thai world title, Jackie Buntan came up short, suffering the first, and to this date, the only loss of his career inside the Circle. She has since bounced back with back-to-back wins over Amber Kitchen and Aussie standout Diandra Martin.

The victories earned Buntan another crack at Sundell, but she was forced to withdraw from their previously scheduled scrap at ONE Fight Night 14. Buntan hopes that she can reschedule the rematch soon.

“When I'm ready to return I would love to, I think I've put in a lot of work to get to where I'm at right now, and to be worthy of that title shot,” Buntan said. “So I'm not worried that that opportunity slipped through my fingers.”

Are you excited to see Jackie Buntan run it back with Smilla Sundell?