“I was familiar with it” - Jackie Buntan says helping Janet Todd prepare for title fights made her kickboxing transition seamless

Muay Thai star Jackie Buntan didn't appear like a deer in headlights in her first foray into kickboxing at ONE 169 last November. The Filipina-American star looked like she'd been there before when she bested multiple-time world champion Anissa Meksen for five rounds to claim the inaugural women's strawweight kickboxing world title.

Appearing as a guest on The Casuals Podcast, Buntan credited being the primary sparring partner of former atomweight Muay Thai and kickboxing queen Janet Todd for preparing her for the biggest moment of her fighting career thus far.

She said:

"You could knee, but no clinching, they break you almost quickly. It shows a lot in this fight. Training with Janet, she was kickboxing champ at the atomweight division, so I helped her through her fight camps. I was kind of familiar with it. I think my style originally transitions perfectly - heavy hands to kicks."

Jackie Buntan was like a sponge and gladly absorbed every bit of knowledge she could from 'JT'.

While Todd has already closed the chapter of her life as a professional fighter, she remains close with Buntan and still regularly trains with her at Boxing Works in Lawndale, California.

Watch the full interview, here:

Jackie Buntan says her workhorse ethic comes from Janet Todd

Jackie Buntan never takes it easy in the gym, a trait she learned after witnessing how Janet Todd operates all these years.

The 27-year-old striker told BeyondKick in an earlier interview:

"We've been training for a long time. I started training with Janet when I was maybe, like, 14, so like, way, way, way back. She's still my inspiration to this day. She's the hardest worker I know."

Being under the wing of arguably one of the greatest female strikers of all time has rubbed off on the phenomenal Buntan.

The Filipina-American warrior is ecstatic to be able to carry the torch left behind by her now-retired mentor, as she embarks on her new quest as the strawweight kickboxing world champion.