Jackie Buntan leading the charge in rise of striking arts in the United States: "Blessed to be able to be part of that"

Inaugural ONE women's strawweight kickboxing world champion Jackie Buntan is grateful to have played a significant role in helping the striking arts gain even more popularity in the United States.

Speaking on the DeWar Report by Val dewar, the Filipino-American megastar gave her thoughts on how much the sport has grown:

"Yeah, 100 percent. I think striking is on the rise. And as you said, American striking is 110 percent on the rise. And I'm just so blessed to be able to be part of that, the forefront of that movement, that's all we want, you know, in the world, to get more eyes on the sport."

Watch the entire interview below:

After amassing a 20-win amateur Muay Thai career in the regional scene, Buntan made her professional and promotional debut at ONE: Fists of Fury in February 2021 with a unanimous decision win over 'Wondergirl' Nat Jaroonsak.

The 27-year-old won her next two bouts, cementing her spot against Swedish phenom Smilla Sundell over the inaugural ONE women's strawweight Muay Thai crown in April 2022.

Despite losing to 'The Hurricane', a determined Buntan racked up a three-fight winning streak before she upended the legendary Anissa Meksen this past November to become the inaugural queen of the women's 125-pound kickboxing division.

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Anissa Meksen wants world title rematch with Jackie Buntan

Fresh off her three-round masterclass against the debuting Kana Morimoto at ONE Friday Fights 92 last Friday, Dec. 20, Anissa Meksen made it clear that she wants to rematch Jackie Buntan for 26 pounds of ONE women's strawweight kickboxing gold.

'C18' said the following in the post-event interview backstage:

"For me, I [will win] this fight for sure. If [there is a] rematch, I'm okay with this. But for me, I'm the winner. For me, I'm without the belt tonight, but for me, I'm the champion. Simple."