Jackie Buntan says she's better equipped for second shot at ONE gold: "I feel a bit more lighter with my mentality"

Jackie Buntan believes she is well prepared for her second shot at becoming a world champion under the ONE Championship banner.

The 27-year old striker has accumulated some invaluable experience since debuting with the promotion in 2021. Though all of her fights have come in the Muay Thai ruleset, her next outing at ONE 169 sees her make the switch to kickboxing.

In the first of three world title fights on Nov. 8 at Lumpinee Stadium, she will face off against Anissa Meksen for the inaugural ONE strawweight kickboxing world championship.

Jackie Buntan has challenged for gold once in the past but came up short against Smilla Sundell at ONE 156 in 2022. She was able to bounce back from that loss with three consecutive wins and, ultimately, has become stronger as a result of that setback.

In a recent interview with ONE Championship, she spoke about how that experience has made her second attempt a better experience:

"I feel a bit more lighter with my mentality and especially in this training camp, not to put so much pressure on myself and just really trust the work I've been doing because that's all I can do."

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Jackie Buntan always backs herself to perform under the brightest lights

No elite fighter wants to lose big matchups like the one that Jackie Buntan had with Smilla Sundell two years ago.

The fight did show that she clearly belongs at the elite level and Buntan has only continued to prove that since then.

Against Anissa Meksen, she faces a new challenge that she's confident in overcoming.

Her opponent holds a huge experience advantage over her, but this isn't something that worries the Muay Thai specialist because of what she has been through during her time in ONE Championship.

Buntan has overcome the odds in the past and will now look to do the same.

ONE 169 will be available to active Amazon Prime Video subscribers in North America live in U.S. primetime this Friday, Nov. 8.