“It as a very difficult decision for me” - Jackie Buntan pulls out of Smilla Sundell rematch due to family matters

Jackie Buntan revealed she pulled out of her upcoming world title fight against Smilla Sundell.

On September 29, ONE Championship returns to the Singapore Indoor Stadium in Singapore for an action-packed fight card. The ONE Fight Night 14 co-main event was expected to be a rematch between Buntan and Sundell for the ONE women’s strawweight Muay Thai world title.

Unfortunately, fans will have to wait for the world title rematch, as Jackie Buntan withdrew due to family matters. The 26-year-old American made the official announcement on Instagram by saying:

“This was a very difficult decision for me to make and is still difficult to sit with but it’s a decision that I know is for the best. I will not be fighting on One Fight Night 14, September 29th due to family matters. I ask you all to respect my privacy. Thank you to everyone who is constantly supporting me… this is just a small pause. I’ll be back 🙏🏼”

Jackie Buntan made her ONE Championship debut in February 2021. After securing three consecutive wins, Buntan was matched up against Smilla Sundell for the inaugural ONE women’s strawweight Muay Thai world title. After five rounds of action, Sundell emerged victorious by unanimous decision.

Sundell has yet to defend her Muay Thai world title since defeating Buntan. With that said, the 18-year-old returned to action on May 26, defeating Milana Bjelogrlic by unanimous decision in a kickboxing bout.

ONE Fight Night 14 took a hit when Smilla Sundell vs. Jackie Buntan 2 being on the balance. Luckily, the September 29 event features two other world championship bouts - Danielle Kelly vs. Jessa Khan for the inaugural ONE women’s atomweight submission grappling world title and Stamp Fairtex vs. Ham Seo Hee for the ONE interim women’s atomweight world title.

The Singapore-based event can be seen live and for free by North American Prime Video subscribers.