“That changed a whole lot for me” – Jackie Buntan admits inactivity forced her to reshuffle before ONE debut

When ONE Championship offered Jackie Buntan an opportunity to compete inside the Circle, she had not competed for nearly two years.

Making her amateur Muay Thai debut in 2016, the Boxing Works standout amassed an impressive 20-5 record over three years, competing under multiple different banners.

However, by the time ONE Championship was ready to test out her skills on martial arts’ biggest stage, she had largely put her competitive career behind her.

“That changed a whole lot for me you know prior to making my debut in ONE, I already was out of fighting, I hadn't fought in like almost two years, just one year not having an opponent or fights, being, you know, getting fallen through and the second year just so happened,” Buntan said in an interview with Alex Wendling. “

He added:

“Besides being out for so long, the main thing was understanding the geography.”

Despite the lengthy layoff, Jackie Buntan delivered a strong showing in her promotional debut, winning a decision against ‘Wondergirl’ Nat Jaroonsak. She added two more wins to her resume before securing her first shot at the ONE strawweight Muay Thai world championship.

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Jackie Buntan is ready for another shot at teen phenom Smilla Sundell

Stepping into the Circle at ONE 156, Jackie Buntan was tasked with taking out Swedish teenage sensation Smilla Sundell.

After five entertaining rounds of action, Smilla emerged victorious. It was a tough blow for Buntan to swallow, but she bounced back like any championship-caliber fighter would.

Buntan earned back-to-back wins against Amber Kitchen and Aussie standout Diandra Martin, once again putting herself into position for a rematch with Sundell.

The pair were scheduled to meet at ONE Fight Night 14 on Prime Video in September, but Buntan was forced to withdraw from the contest due to personal issues. That paved the way for a champion vs. champion showdown between Smilla Sundell and current ONE atomweight Muay Thai titleholder Allycia Hellen Rodrigues.

Sundell once again rose to the challenge, finishing Rodrigues in the third round to retain her title once again.

Jackie Buntan hopes that backing out of their September showdown won’t prevent her from securing another shot at Sundell’s 26 pounds of gold in the future.