Jackie Buntan reflects on capturing ONE Strawweight Kickboxing World Title At ONE 169

ONE Women’s Strawweight Kickboxing World Champion Jackie Buntan made good on her bid to finally wear gold in ONE Championship.  

The American-Filipina dispatched kickboxing GOAT Anissa Meksen to become the division’s inaugural queen at ONE 169 last Friday, November 8, inside Bangkok, Thailand’s Lumpinee Stadium.  

Meksen posed a stern test for Buntan, but the latter passed the assignment in her first kickboxing bout with flying colors. Since Meksen was Buntan’s hero, she could have easily been starstruck when the bell rang. But Buntan feels she didn’t allow herself to give the French-Algerian too much respect.  

“Anissa is a legend in the game. I remember watching her when I was still in high school,” she said.  

“So it was a very big fight, a very big opportunity, but that’s the type of fight I wanted, especially for the belt.” 

Becoming a ONE World Champion is all Buntan has ever wanted. And now that the belt is around her waist, she’s looking for even bigger accolades. 

For the time being, the Californian wants to cement her legacy as the kickboxing queen. But eventually, she wants to become a two-sport ONE World Champion by claiming the strawweight Muay Thai gold as well. 

“You know, it was first [kickboxing] World Championship fight, and I became a champion. So, yeah, it’s definitely the biggest moment of my career, but it’s the first of many,” Buntan said. 

“Next year the goal is to keep defending the kickboxing belt and go for the Muay Thai belt and hold both at the same time.”

What’s next for Jackie Buntan?

Jackie Buntan made history this past weekend at ONE 169, becoming the very first ONE Women’s Strawweight Kickboxing World Champion. But what is next on the list for the Filipina-American standout? 

She’s made it clear she plans to staunchly defend her kickboxing crown. But there are many opponents in her weight category that can face in both Muay Thai and kickboxing.  

One of whom could be the dynamic Russian finisher Natalia Diachkova. The “Karelian Lynx” was running rampant in ONE Championship until suffering defeat against former strawweight Muay Thai queen Smilla Sundell. 

So, if the heavy hitter in Diachkova fancies her chances in kickboxing, fight fans worldwide would receive the showdown between her and Buntan with excitement.