“I definitely want to go back and fix those holes” – Jackie Buntan says it’s back to the drawing board after Martine Michieletto win

Filipino-American striker Jackie Buntan made it a winning return to competition last weekend but admitted that her performance was not up to scratch the way she wanted it to be.

The 26-year-old California native was a unanimous decision winner over Martine Michieletto of Italy in a catchweight Muay Thai clash at ONE Fight Night 20 on Prime Video on March 8.

Buntan stood toe-to-toe against her taller opponent, banking on her speed, which enabled her to make early inroads in the three-round contest. She encountered a rough patch in the second, where she was cut open by Michieletto with a left straight punch.

However, it turned out to be just a speed bump as she once again picked things up in the third round and eventually earned the nod of the judges for the convincing win.

Following the fight, Jackie Buntan shared her thoughts on what went down during her match, including how she spotted some things she has to work on to compete at a level that she wants to.

The Boxing Works fighter told Sportskeeda MMA in an interview:

“I’m pleased with the win, glad to get my hand raised. [But] I want to take some time to heal up a bit, get back in the lab because I wasn't 100 percent.

“Happy with this fight, you know, but there's a lot of things that came out that we've been working for six or for six weeks but there's still some things that I'm not too happy with in my performance, I definitely want to go back and fix those holes.”

Watch the interview below:

The victory at ONE Fight Night 20 was the third straight win for Jackie Buntan and something she looks to build on in what she hopes to be a busy year in competing after seeing action in only one event last year.

ONE Fight Night 20 was played at the Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok and featured an all-female card to mark International Women’s Day. Its replay is available free on demand for existing Prime Video subscribers in the United States and Canada.

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Jackie Buntan says losing is part of martial arts

Jackie Buntan has been in the game for a while now and has learned to accept the good things that go with it along with the bad, particularly losing.

In an interview with the South China Morning Post in the lead-up to her latest fight, the Body Works standout shared that in doing combat sports she has learned to recognize that along with winning comes losing and she tries to pick herself up and be better every time she stumbles.

The Filipino-American fighter said:

“Anybody in combat sports with the perfect record, it's inevitable that you are going to lose here and there, that's not the end all be all. That's part of the game and through that you learn so much and I definitely feel like I've learned so much. I’ve improved both mentally and physically so much as an athlete.”

Watch the interview below:

Jackie Buntan absorbed her first loss in ONE Championship in April 2022, edged by Smilla Sundell by unanimous decision for the inaugural ONE strawweight Muay Thai world title.

But she has since bounced back, racking up three straight decision wins, the most recent at ONE Fight Night 20 over Martine Michieletto.