“That’s part of the game” – Jackie Buntan says losing is ‘not the end all be all’ in martial arts

For Filipino-American striker Jackie Buntan, losing is part of doing martial arts. She said what is more important is how you respond to it.

It is something she has learned after doing combat sports for some time now. And while she has had a lot of success doing it, she is aware that adversities in the form of losses are part of her trade and she tries to learn from each of them to become better.

She shared this in a recent interview with the South China Morning Post, saying:

“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.”

Watch the interview below:

Bouncing back from a loss is what Jackie Buntan has done in her last two fights. After losing in her bid for the inaugural ONE women’s strawweight Muay Thai world title to Smilla Sundell in April 2022, she rebounded with back-to-back convincing wins over Amber Kitchen and Diandra Martin.

The 26-year-old Boxing Works standout looks to sustain the winning momentum she has built when she returns to action on March 8 at ONE Fight Night 20 on Prime Video in Thailand.

She will battle Martine Michieletto of Italy in a catchweight (130 pounds) Muay Thai clash. It is part of the all-female card for the event, happening at the Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok.

ONE Fight Night 20 will air live in U.S. primetime, free of charge for existing Prime Video subscribers in North America. It is also available on watch.onefc.com.

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Jackie Buntan seeks for a winning return at ONE Fight Night 20

Jackie Buntan returns from a 10-month break from competition on March 8 at ONE Fight Night 20 on Prime Video in Thailand. And she is looking to make it a winning one.

The Filipino-American fighter was last in action in May last year, where she finished Australian Diandra Martin with a first-round TKO.

Buntan was supposed to compete in September in a rematch against ONE strawweight Muay Thai world champion Smilla Sundell. She, however, had to withdraw from the lead-up for personal reasons.

Now back in the swing of things, she is out to start her 2024 ONE campaign on a winning note in her scheduled catchweight Muay Thai showdown at ONE Fight Night 20 with Italian Martine Michieletto.

There, Jackie Buntan is gunning for her sixth win in seven matches under ONE Championship.

Michieletto, for her part, is going for back-to-back wins after her unanimous decision victory over British fighter Amber Kitchen in January 2023.