Jackie Buntan admits to feeling the pressure ahead of ONE Fight Night 10

At ONE Fight Night 10 on Prime Video, Jackie Buntan will step inside the circle for a big fight on an even bigger stage.

After rebounding from her loss to Smilla Sundell with a win over Amber Kitchen at ONE on Prime Video 5, Buntan is back for her first appearance of the year next month.

Facing Aussie striker Diandra Martin, Buntan is out to regain the momentum that she had had after winning her first three fights in ONE Championship.

Not only is the 25-year-old in need of a win to get herself back into world title contention, there are other factors going into this fight that have played on her mind.

ONE Fight Night 10 will be a historic night for the promotion as ONE Championship stages a fight card in the United States for the first time. Whilst Buntan has always represented both her Filipino and American heritage inside the circle, she will now get to compete in the country she was born in.

Ahead of her return on May 5 at the 1stBank Center in Colorado, the California native spoke about her mindset coming into this contest:

“A hundred percent [there is pressure]. It’s not like the pressure where it’s keeping me up at night and I can’t eat. But yeah, it’s in the back of my head.”

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Jackie Buntan will be getting some help to prepare for Diandra Martin

Jackie Buntan has got the benefit of always having a fellow elite striker alongside her to prepare for upcoming contests.

With her longtime friend and training partner Janet Todd regularly sharing a mat with her, the two top competitors are always in and around the gym with one another, helping each other to stay sharp, improve and deliver the best performance on fight night.

After Todd made her return to the circle last month in the co-main event of ONE Fight Night 8, it is now Todd’s turn to get her friend ready to compete.

Both fighters have had high-profile matches to kick off 2023. Whilst Todd’s may have been a world championship unification contest for the atomweight Muay Thai division, Buntan is coming into her fight looking to represent her Filipino-American heritage in the United States.

In an interview with SCMP MMA, Janet Todd gave this breakdown of their training camp ahead of Buntan’s clash with Diandra Martin in Colorado:

“Yeah, I’ll be helping her [Buntan] too... She’s fighting Diandra [Martin]. She’s a lot taller than me so she’s going to have some different sparring partners that are taller than my five-foot-three size."

ONE Fight Night 10 on May 5 is live and free via Prime Video for North American viewers.