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Filipino-American striker Jackie Buntan said becoming a ONE world champion crystallized her belief in what she is truly capable of as a martial artist. It followed years of a lot of questions if she was any good at what she was doing.
The 27-year-old Boxing Works standout added her name to the roster of ONE Championship titleholders when she claimed the inaugural women's strawweight kickboxing world title in her last match. She defeated veteran Anissa Meksen by decision at ONE 169 back in November.
In an interview with the promotion, Buntan spoke about the significance of winning the title in her martial arts journey, saying:
"It solidified everything for me. There were many times where I had so much doubt about pursuing this path of being a professional athlete, especially in combat sports. But after winning the belt, it just kind of solidified like, "OK, those doubts can all go to rest."
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In becoming the strawweight kickboxing queen, Jackie Buntan had to labor through the tough stand put up by Meksen. Banking on her solid boxing skills, she was able to land more impactful shots throughout the five-round title match, helping her considerably to the decision victory.
Apart from becoming world champion, the win at ONE 169 stretched her current winning streak to four straight matches while improving to a 7-1 card in ONE Championship.
Jackie Buntan says winning title over Anissa Meksen made it more fulfilling
That Jackie Buntan became ONE women's strawweight kickboxing world champion at the expense of a quality opponent like Anissa Meksen made it more fulfilling for her.
She made it known in the same interview with ONE Championship, sharing how the title win was representative of how things have been in her career, and she would not have it any other way.
"I feel like in my career so far, I've never been handed an easy fight, so being matched with Anissa for the belt was just perfect in my opinion."
Now that she has the ONE women's strawweight kickboxing belt, Buntan is looking to achieve more success, eyeing the vacant Muay Thai world title in the division.
