“She’s a champ for a reason” – Jackie Buntan eager to book rematch with ‘strong girl’ Smilla Sundell

Top Muay Thai contender Jackie Buntan aims to get back at ‘The Hurricane’ Smilla Sundell in a rematch for the ONE women’s strawweight Muay Thai crown.

The two world-class strikers crossed paths for the first time in April 2022 at ONE 156 to fight for the inaugural ONE women’s strawweight Muay Thai world championship. Both women put everything they had on the line, but it was Sundell who came out on top after five rounds of action.

Since that day, Buntan has climbed her way up the ladder with a couple of big victories against the UK’s Amber Kitchen and Australia’s Diandra Martin to put her name back into title contention.

Their rematch was booked for September 30th, but it ultimately fell through. Smilla defeated fellow champion Allycia Hellen Rodrigues at ONE Fight Night 15 while Buntan was away, over-exhausting her list of potential opponents with her fierceness.

But Buntan doesn’t feel discouraged. She’s ready to make her long-awaited Muay Thai return against Italy’s Martine Michieletto in a stacked all-female led fight card at ONE Fight Night 20, to face her old rival again.

Sharing her thoughts about ‘The Hurricane,’ Buntan told Sportskeeda MMA:

“I took the fight on, you know, first off or the first go around. And she's a champ for a reason. Tough girl, strong girl. But that’s the reason why we’re all here you know. We have to challenge ourselves.”

ONE Fight Night 20 will air live on US Primetime on March 8, free of charge for existing Prime Video subscribers in North America.

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Jackie Buntan invites fans to tune in this Friday for the “historic all women’s card” on International Women’s Day

Jackie Buntan is thrilled to be a part of the historic all-female-led card at ONE Fight Night 20, which falls on this year’s International Women’s Day.

The stakes are higher than usual for these women who share the card with Buntan. They were all hand-picked to inspire women all over the globe with their achievements in the martial arts world.

Buntan, for one, is excited to represent female athletes in the largest martial arts organization in the world.

Sharing her thoughts on Instagram this week, Buntan riled the fans with the following statement:

“Fight week has begun ✨ Tune in this Friday @ 5pm on @primevideo to catch a historic all women’s card on international women’s day 🔥.”