Jackie Buntan wanted to follow in the footsteps of her teammate and former two-sport ONE world champion Janet Todd.
After establishing herself as a formidable force in the art of eight limbs with wins over the likes of Nat 'Wondergirl' Jaroonsak, Amber Kitchen, Diandra Martin, and Martine Michieletto, Buntan captured her first 26 pounds of gold in eight-ounce gloves.
Going toe-to-toe with seven-time titleholder Anissa Meksen at ONE 169 inside the legendary Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Buntan delivered a brilliant performance that earned her a unanimous decision and the ONE strawweight kickboxing world championship.
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It was an impressive performance from Buntan — especially considering it was her first time competing in kickboxing.
Looking back on the opportunity, Buntan revealed that Janet Todd's success in kickboxing and Muay Thai recently inspired her to test herself in another sport.
"Janet Todd, she was able to be the kickboxing champ and the interim Muay Thai champ, and she's a huge inspiration to me, and I just wanted to follow along those footsteps," Buntan said on the Dewar Report with Val Dewar. "So I've been adamant about a kickboxing fight, and they sprung on too good of an opportunity, so I took it. Here we are."
Watch the full interview:
Jackie Buntan still trying to get used to being a ONE world champion
Though it's been several weeks since her dominant showing against 'C18' inside the Mecca of Muay Thai, Jackie Buntan admits that she still hasn't completely come to terms with being a ONE world champion. In the aforementioned interview, she said:
"A little bit, you know, I kept saying ever since I literally got the belt when they announced it," Buntan added. "I was like, this hasn't been processed. I've been saying that for a whole week, and I feel like it still kind of hasn't been processed, only just because I don't know, I'm still going about the same routine in life. I think as the days go by, I'll start processing and sinking in."
What's next for Buntan remains to be seen, but the Filipina-American plans to proudly defend her kickboxing crown while continuing to seek her first ONE Championship belt in Muay Thai.
If you missed any of the action, ONE Championship fans in the United States and Canada can watch the ONE 169: Malykhin vs. Reug Reug replay on demand via Amazon Prime Video.