FREE FULL FIGHT: Filipino-American star Jackie Buntan captures world title glory in clinical duel vs. legendary Anissa Meksen

Jackie Buntan faced an uphill battle on her road to fulfilling her dream of becoming a world champion last November at ONE 169 when she went to war with the legendary Anissa Meksen for the inaugural ONE women's strawweight kickboxing world championship.

While her Muay Thai skills are nothing to scoff at, she had not yet competed under kickboxing rules during her three-year tenure with ONE. This made many fans wonder whether the Filipino-American can hang with Meksen in her realm of expertise.

Buntan wholeheartedly accepted her underdog status and fought like it when she traded leather with 'C18', though she did have to be reminded by referee Olivier Coste that catching kicks is not allowed — a force of habit owing to her Muay Thai experience.

Watch the entire fight below, which ONE shared on YouTube:

Meksen took advantage of Buntan adjusting to the rules early on, darting in and out of the latter's range when throwing her own combos. But under the guidance of longtime coach Bryan Popejoy in her corner in between rounds, Buntan delivered a performance of a lifetime to claim the gold via unanimous decision.

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Jackie Buntan hopes to have a busy schedule in 2025

At 27 years old, Jackie Buntan wants to further her legacy in both Muay Thai and kickboxing rule sets. She revealed her desire to be active this year during a recent interview with Val Dewar.

The Boxing Works product said:

"In terms of opponents, I don't even know. I said it last year, in the strawweight division for Muay Thai, it's been kind of random. I definitely am the most active strawweight athlete on the roster. That's a fact. So in terms of whoever's worthy of another title shot, I don't know that's up to the company, but yeah, next year, I want to be busy."

Watch the entire interview below: