“It’s been an amazing journey” - Bryan Popejoy looks back at how his mentorship with Jackie Buntan led to ONE gold

If there was one man who shaped the course of Jackie Buntan's career, it has to be Bryan Popejoy.

The famed trainer from California has been the major voice in Buntan's corner even before she arrived at ONE Championship, and he was also the one who guided the Filipino-American star to world championship glory.

Buntan captured the inaugural ONE women's strawweight kickboxing world title against the legendary Anissa Meksen at the stacked ONE 169 card this past weekend at Lumpinee Stadium.

Taking to Instagram, Popejoy expressed his joy as he watched Jackie Buntan grow up from a shy amateur at Boxing Works to capturing ONE Championship gold in Bangkok.

Popejoy wrote:

"About a week later, and I still can’t gather my thoughts, so I’ll try again later, and this will be brief, but, what I can say is after 16 years, @jackiebuntan is a world champion on the biggest stage in the world. This is a big group effort, so many have contributed to making this dream a reality. I’ll make another post, and hopefully won’t leave anyone out."

He added:

"From a quiet 11-year-old girl to the strong woman you are today, it’s been an amazing journey that I’m grateful to have been a part of, and it’s only the start of a new chapter. Congratulations, JB."

Buntan is the second of Popejoy's students to capture ONE Championship gold after the retired Janet Todd held the ONE atomweight kickboxing and interim atomweight Muay Thai world titles.

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Jackie Buntan shares her admiration for Bryan Popejoy after securing ONE Championship gold

Jackie Buntan knows she wouldn't have reached the pinnacle of her sport if not for the guidance and influence of Bryan Popejoy.

The American coach has been training Buntan since she started her martial arts journey up until her capture of the ONE women's strawweight kickboxing world title.

During the post-event press conference for ONE 169, Buntan said:

"I mean, I can't even put it into words. You know, I've been with Bryan since I was a kid, since I started this whole journey, and being able to win this with him by my side, it feels like a dream. I can't put anything else into words about it."