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Jackie Buntan credited her coach, Bryan Popejoy, for not limiting their training focus to only traditional techniques.
On Nov. 8, Butan secured a life-changing unanimous decision against Anissa Meksen to become the inaugural women's strawweight kickboxing world champion. The 27-year-old took a significant step toward two-sport supremacy, as she holds a 6-1 promotional Muay Thai record.
Buntan has continued to evolve as a fighter, showcasing the growth of striking in North America. During an appearance on 'The Casuals,' the American superstar has this to say about her coach helping her improve with untraditional techniques:
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"I think we have a traditional Thai style, but it's mixed in with a lot of different looks and influences from kickboxing, from boxing, whatever Bryan comes up with. Really, I think the foundation is there of Muay Thai, but the nice thing is, he's so open to new ideas and new practices where it's not like some coach, like, ‘That's not Muay Thai. We're not gonna do it.’"
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Buntan made her ONE Championship debut in February 2021. Since then, the 27-year-old won six of her seven Muay Thai fights, five by unanimous decision, before showcasing her striking versatility in kickboxing.
Watch Buntan's entire interview with 'The Casuals' below:
What's next for Jackie Buntan in ONE?
Jackie Buntan started her ONE Championship tenure with three consecutive wins. In April 2022, the American superstar endured her lone promotional loss against Smilla Sundell for the women's strawweight Muay Thai world title.
Sundell has since remained undefeated with a promotional record of 4-0, including three wins by knockout. On May 3, the 20-year-old was forced to vacate her world title due to missing weight before her fight against Natalia Diachkova.
Sundell plans to eventually move up to flyweight. In the meantime, she has voiced her interest in regaining the ONE women's strawweight Muay Thai world title, making a rematch against Buntan highly intriguing for 2025.
Sundell vs. Buntan 2 would be the perfect matchup for the vacant throne. Assuming Sundell can make weight, the must-see rematch with Buntan could be scheduled for the first half of the upcoming calendar year.
