“See me live out my dream” - Jackie Buntan opens up about her father’s passing after world title conquest

Reigning and undisputed ONE women's strawweight kickboxing world champion Jackie Buntan of the United States and the Philippines has had her fair share of ups and downs over the past few months.

After making history and winning the coveted 26-pound golden belt in the world's largest martial arts organization, Buntan's father passed away and shattered the Filipina-American's world.

Speaking to ONE Championship in a recent interview, Buntan talked about the difficult stretch she has gone through.

The Filipina-American said:

"Coming back, especially after the holidays, it was cool. I got to enjoy a bunch of time with family, had some downtime. It's no news about my father, my late father, passing shortly after. So that was a weird mixture of emotions, but all I can say is timing is ridiculous because I'm just so happy he was able to see me live out my dream and get a belt, be a world champ."

Needless to say, Buntan has definitely made her late father proud as she now serves as a beacon of inspiration for Filipinos all over the world.

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Jackie Buntan enjoying downtime as a champion: "It sounds ridiculous maybe, but it's true"

While Jackie Buntan fully expects to return to action later this year to defend her ONE women's strawweight kickboxing gold, the Filipina-American star is taking the time to enjoy her downtime.

She told ONE Championship:

"It's absolutely freeing. It's so freeing to the point where you're having fun. It sounds ridiculous maybe, but it's true. You don't have so much pressure on your shoulders to execute a specific movement."

Needless to say, fans should expect to see the California native back in the ring very soon.

Stay tuned to Sportskeeda MMA for all the latest news and updates surrounding Jackie Buntan's next fight.