"Working on a little special project for ONE Championship" - Jackie Buntan and Team Lakay join forces

Jackie Buntan teased that she is working on something with the famed Team Lakay from the Philippines.

On her Instagram Stories, Buntan shared a photo featuring the Filipino gym’s logo, tagging ONE Championship with the pinned location being at Team Lakay. The caption reads:

“Working on a little special project for @onechampionship 👀”

Screen grab from @jackiebuntan on Instagram

Team Lakay is known for producing a slew of homegrown Filipino world champions like Eduard Folayang, Kevin Belingon, Geje Eustaquio, Joshua Pacio, and Honorio Banario, just to name a few. Most of its veterans came from a Wushu background before making the transition to MMA.

While Jackie Buntan did not elaborate on what she is doing with the Filipino team, it will be interesting to see if the ONE Super Series standout was able to hone her skills with the world-class strikers of Team Lakay.

Buntan’s family moved from the Philippines to the United States before she was born. However, her family raised her with Filipino values, which has allowed Buntan to proudly represent both the United States and the Philippines whenever she competes.

Her latest project has given her the opportunity to explore her Filipino side better, as it looks like she is currently in the Philippines.

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Jackie Buntan is back in the hunt for a world title

Jackie Buntan collected three victories in ONE Championship to earn an opportunity to compete for the inaugural ONE women’s strawweight Muay Thai world title at ONE 156 earlier this year.

Unfortunately, it was teenage sensation Smilla Sundell who emerged victorious in that matchup. With the win, the Swede became the youngest-ever world champion in the promotion despite a valiant effort by Buntan.

The Filipino-American striker’s confidence is not shaken though. She expressed her desire to work her way back to world title contention very soon.

While she primarily competes in Muay Thai, Buntan has said that she is willing to compete in kickboxing as well. The 24-year-old is looking to stay active and is itching for a return to the circle.

She has plenty of options to choose from in the stacked women’s strawweight division. Bouncing back in a big way could be beneficial for her goal of getting back into the world title picture.