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Jackie Buntan was "grateful" to challenge herself against Anissa Meksen.
On November 8, Buntan stepped out of her Muay Thai comfort zone and made her promotional kickboxing debut. There were added stakes for the American superstar's ONE 169 matchup against Meksen, as the inaugural women's women's strawweight world title was on the line.
Buntan showcased her versatile striking skills with a unanimous decision win inside the legendary Lumpinee Boxing Stadium. During an interview on the 'DeWar Report,' the 27-year-old had this to say:
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"So I knew taking this fight created such a crazy storyline, and it made the victory that much sweeter. And this is the type of fight I want. I think any athlete, this is what you want, to be able to challenge yourself against the best. And yeah, I'm grateful for it."
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Before crossing over to kickboxing, Jackie Buntan established a 6-1 promotional record in Muay Thai. The Boxing Works affiliate's lone loss was against young phenom Smilla Sundell, who's remained undefeated in ONE Championship.
Watch Buntan's entire interview on the 'DeWar Report' below:
Jackie Buntan wanted to sign with ONE to compete in multiple sports
Jackie Buntan's eight fights in ONE Championship have allowed her to showcase her striking skills in two sports. The American superstar has also recently voiced an interest in transitioning to MMA in the future.
During the previously mentioned interview, Buntan had this to say about signing with ONE to compete in several sports:
"The reason why I wanted to sign with ONE Championship, besides it being such a large platform, is that you have so many disciplines you can compete in. You have Muay Thai, you have kickboxing, MMA, grappling. And me being a striker, that just doubles my fight opportunity, really. Being able to go from Muay Thai and kickboxing and my training partner, she was able to compete in both.""
Jackie Buntan is focused on becoming a two-sport world champion, as a Muay Thai title shot could be rewarded in her next fight. Although it's unconfirmed by ONE, Buntan might be matched up for a highly-anticipated rematch against Smilla Sundell for the vacant strawweight world title.
