Jackie Buntan admits losing father has left a void: “It hurts to look back at the photos”

ONE women's strawweight kickboxing world champion Jackie Buntan has opened up about the emotional challenge of preserving memories of her late father as she prepares for another massive fight at ONE Fight Night 35.

Inside the iconic Lumpinee Stadium, this Friday, September 5, the Californian squares off against Austrian dynamo Stella Hemetsberger for the vacant ONE women's strawweight Muay Thai world title. Their matchup will headline the card.

During an interview with ONE Championship, Jackie Buntan reflected on how grief and gratitude intertwine as she pursues two-sport world championship glory later this week.

"I am fortunate enough to have so many photos and videos of my dad. I admit, I would troll him a lot. I am a goofy person. So a lot of [these photos and videos] come from this goofy side of me that we shared," the 28-year-old shared.

"All these memories I have of him are of us laughing, and they're good memories. It hurts to look back at the photos, but I'm grateful that I took them because it reminds me of the good times I had with him, and I'm fortunate enough to have that documented."

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Jackie Buntan not adding any extra pressure heading into her next matchup

The Filipino-American superstar, however, still maintains competitive focus while handling grief, and she won't let the latter get in the way of another possible moment of glory at ONE Fight Night 35.

"I'm pretty good with, with maintaining, you know, the discipline and being able to give myself grace as a world champion. I feel like I've mastered that well into my career so far," she told the South China Morning Post in a separate interview.

"So, I don't add any extra added pressure. You know, this whole career path is a lot of stress already. So I don't necessarily add any more burden into the mix."

As she continues to honor her father's memory, there's no better way for Jackie Buntan to repay her father's love and sacrifice than to add another shiny belt around her waist when she squares off against the Austrian challenger.

North American fans with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription can catch the entire ONE Fight Night 35 card, live in U.S. primetime, for free on Friday, September 5.