ONE Championship asks who should Jackie Buntan face next?

Jackie Buntan went to war at ONE 156 against Swedish Muay Thai phenom Smilla Sundell. Prior to that, Buntan had cleared much of the strawweight division already with her 2021 win streak.

In her championship fight against the 17-year-old Sundell, the Filipino-American striker had success in the first two rounds. However, the taller Sundell made adjustments and stole the last three rounds and thus the inaugural championship with it.

Buntan is a Muay Thai striking technician with quality wins in the women's strawweight class. Now, after her championship fight loss, ONE Championship posed the question, who's next for her?

"Who should Jackie Buntan face next?"

If Buntan wants to be paired against someone who is also coming off a loss then her options could be Australian strikers Diandra Martin or Brooke Farrell.

If Buntan wants to get back to a title shot as quickly as possible, then facing an opponent on a win streak may be in her best interest. With that in mind, potential opponents include Supergirl Jaroonsak Muaythai, or English champion Iman Barlow.

She would also have potential rematch options against fighters she has previously defeated. They include Wondergirl Jaroonsak Muaythai, Ekaterina Vandaryeva, or the Daniela López.

It is a stacked division with many options for Jackie Buntan.

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Jackie Buntan sets her sites on the title

ONE Championship gold is still the goal for Buntan. After the fight, the Filipina-American posted on Instagram saying she will be back. In the caption, she wrote:

"Went into an absolute war with [Smilla Sundell]! Big congrats to her and her team [Fairtex gym] - we will meet again soon."

She added that despite this loss, it is not the end of her journey. Instead, she sees this as just the beginning. This loss has lit a fire in her and she wants to come back even stronger. She continued:

"What is growth without defeat? Im grateful for the lessons learned in this fight, it’s only lit a bigger fire in my heart to level up in every capacity. Life has dealt me tougher cards- I’m still here and I’ll be back and better. Don’t count me out, the journey has just begun... And to all my supporters who ride with me, keep riding, I’m just getting started."

ONE Championship CEO Chatri Sityodtong even commented on one of her photos, saying that she will be back and has the makings of a world champion.

After her championship loss, she will likely take some time off before returning to the ONE circle. Jackie Buntan is looking to capture a world title, and she says she is just getting started.