“Great power and just great movement” – Jackie Buntan on what makes interim kickboxing queen Phetjeeja a different breed

Jackie Buntan has nothing but respect for the skill set of reigning ONE interim atomweight kickboxing queen Phetjeeja Lukjaoporongtom.

After scoring four straight knockouts, including a stunning 26-second KO against two-time ISKA world champion Lara Fernandez, Phetjeeja earned the opportunity to step in and square off with one of the most accomplished female kickboxers in the history of the sport, Anissa Meksen, for the interim atomweight title.

‘The Queen’ walked into the bout as an understandable underdog given her inexperience competing in kickboxing, but that didn’t stop her from once again putting on a show in front of a packed Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.

After five rounds of action, Phetjeeja was declared the winner via unanimous decision.

Looking back on the Thai’s undeniably impressive 2023 campaign, Buntan believes that Phetjeeja’s signature power, mixed with her impressive movement inside the ring is what makes her stand out from other fighters.

Speaking to Sportskeeda MMA, Buntan said:

“I think she has great power - we’ve seen that with multiple knockouts she’s had . Great power and just great movement. And that movement comes from her head movement, her boxing style, all of that. There are boxers and Muay Thai, but I feel like she really emulates boxing and she’s able to transition that so well to Muay Thai, which is rare to see in female fighters.”

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Jackie Buntan hunting for another shot at ONE gold

Jackie Buntan has had an equally impressive run since making her promotional debut in 2021.

She kickstarted things with a trio of victories over Nat ‘Wondergirl’ Jaroonsak, Ekaterina Vandaryeva, and Daniela Lopez.

She suffered her first setback inside the Circle against Smilla Sundell, the reigning ONE women’s strawweight Muay Thai world champion.

However, she quickly bounced back by adding two more wins to her resume, taking out the UK’s Amber Kitchen and Aussie standout Diandra Martin.

Buntan has not booked an appearance for 2024 just yet, but with five wins in her last six fights, she is most certainly primed for another ONE world title opportunity.

Perhaps someday we will see her drop down to atomweight and challenge Phetjeeja inside the Mecca of Muay Thai.