“She is obviously overlooking this fight” - "Hungry" Jackie Buntan wants to make Anissa Meksen pay for underestimating her

Given her inexperience in kickboxing bouts, Jackie Buntan feels like she's being wildly underestimated by her ONE 169 opponent Anissa Meksen.

The Filipina-American firecracker will take on the multi-time world champion on Nov. 8 for the inaugural women's strawweight kickboxing world title inside the iconic Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.

With 103 career wins to her name, Meksen is truly one of the most distinguished female strikers of all time. 'C18' has collected belts wherever she goes, making her the slight favorite in this pivotal five-round all-striking battle.

It is also worth noting that the French-Algerian striker has another bout booked in December, where she'll face Kana Morimoto at ONE Friday Fights 92. That said, Jackie Buntan thinks there's a lot on Meksen's plate at the moment, and she's not focusing enough on the challenge that's in front of her.

The Boxing Works athlete told ONE Championship:

"Maybe she is [distracted]. I’m not distracted. I think she is obviously overlooking this fight, overlooking me as an opponent, and that’s totally fine. I’ll let her think that. I’m coming in extremely ready for this, I’m hungry for this, so yeah."

Jackie Buntan says Anissa Meksen fight is monumental for women in combat sports

ONE 169 will feature three massive world title fights, including the highly-anticipated war between Jackie Buntan and Anissa Meksen. The stakes couldn't be any higher, with 26 pounds of gold on the line in the grandest stage of martial arts.

The gravity of this bout isn't lost on Jackie Buntan, who's extremely grateful to showcase just how far women have come in combat sports.

"The biggest thing in female sports is when people ask, ‘Why don't you watch female sports?’ It's always, ‘It's not as entertaining.’ Right? So being able to put on a fight that's hopefully Fight of the Night, then that's a win for all female athletes," she told ONE.

ONE 169: Malykhin vs. Reug Reug will air live in US Primetime free of charge for Prime Video subscribers in the United States and Canada.