“I got woken up” - Stella Hemetsberger says Jackie Buntan’s power played out like a jolt to the system

Austrian star Stella Hemetsberger got introduced to the power of Jackie Buntan early in their title clash last week, She, however, said it was what she needed to stay focused on her game plan on her way to a hard-earned victory.

The two top strikers battled in the headlining contest at ONE Fight Night 35 on Sept. 5 at the famed Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand. They disputed the vacant ONE women's strawweight Muay Thai world title.

Hemetsberger absorbed early damage when she suffered a broken nose from a solid right hand from Filipino-American Buntan. But instead of folding from it, the Vienna native stayed the course and dug deep, even hacking out two knockdowns before the opening round ended.

While she continued to deal with the striking power of her opponent, Hemetsberger showed strong resolve, throwing her own solid attacks that Buntan also reeled from. She kept such aggressiveness all the way to the end and deservingly got the nod of all of the judges to become the latest ONE world champion.

Stella Hemetsberger spoke about the power of Buntan and how she reacted to it during the in-ring interview following her title conquest, saying:

"I got woken up [by her power], obviously, quite quickly, and that made me push a little bit, and then, like, I managed to find the right timing still. Like, yeah, you saw, it just played out very well. Played out very well."

Newly minted ONE women's strawweight Muay Thai world champion Stella Hemetsberger -- Photo by ONE Championship

The win at ONE Fight Night 35 was the fourth straight for Hemetsberger in ONE Championship since making her promotional debut in October last year. It also took her overall professional record to 9-2.

Buntan, meanwhile, lost her first match in her last five fights. However, despite the defeat, she is still a world champion, holding the ONE women's strawweight kickboxing world title.

The full replay of ONE Fight Night 35 is available on demand for Prime Video subscribers in North America.

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Stella Hemetsberger joins teammate Allycia Hellen Rodrigues in ONE's roster of champions

Stella Hemetsberger not only realized her world title dreams at ONE Fight Night 35. It also thrust her to ONE Championship's list of champions, joining Phuket Fight Club teammate Allycia Hellen Rodrigues.

Atomweight Muay Thai queen Rodrigues trained alongside Hemetsberger as the latter prepared for her recent title showdwon against Jackie Buntan. The Brazilian champion rallied big time for her teammate, believing that the Austrian fighter was already primed for a world title shot and win.

Rodrigues was at ringside at ONE Fight Night 35, joining Stella Hemetsberger's father, and was one of the first to cheer and celebrate the 26-year-old fighter's world title conquest.