Jackie Buntan was tasked with kicking off ONE Championship’s epic U.S. debut in style on Friday, May 5 – and that is exactly what she did.
The Boxing Works talent cruised through Diandra Martin in less than a round at ONE Fight Night 10, ending the strawweight Muay Thai meeting with a gorgeous combination that left the Aussie struggling to meet the referee’s count. In a recent interview with ONE, Buntan said she operated without thought and executed her game plan effortlessly to score the emphatic win.
“Athletes go through that feeling in the competition where they’re in the zone, in the flow, where everything’s just autopilot. It’s almost like you’re not even thinking. And I definitely experienced that from the start of the round, which was very cool because that was only my second time experiencing that,” Buntan said.
“It wasn’t until [the referee] did the count, and she fell, and I was in the neutral corner. That’s kind of when I felt like I went back into the present moment.”
The American star has had incredible success since arriving in ONE. However, one thing had always eluded h inside the Circle – a knockout.
Buntan never chased the finish, though, as she knew she had the power and the technique. It was merely a task of putting all of the pieces together inside the Circle at ONE Fight Night 10.
“I know my hands and power, and everything they are capable of. It was just a matter of time and repetition of perfect placement in terms of punching and getting the power back up. All the years of hard work and repetition all in one little quick second. It was just the best feeling ever,” Buntan explained.
When asked what her future plans were, directly following her win on May 5, the striking star told Mitch Chilson that she was eyeing up the inaugural ONE Strawweight Kickboxing World Championship, and gave a very straightforward answer to explain why that was her goal.
“I want to be a two-sport World Champion in Muay Thai and kickboxing. Obviously, I did the Muay Thai fight last year. It didn’t go my way. That’s still on the horizon. But right now, I truly believe I’m the number one contender for both,” Buntan said.
A rematch for the Muay Thai title against Smilla Sundell would be undeniably tempting for Buntan, but she has a greater vision in mind. The American wants the kickboxing gold first in order to set-up a massive showdown with the Swedish striker.
And she is not going to be quiet about it any longer.
“In terms of kickboxing and why do I want to do it first, and why do I want to do it now? It’s because I’m greedy. And no one has it yet. And I want to be the first one to have it, versus taking my time and being quiet about it,” Buntan said.
“[If I’d] win that inaugural belt, and if Smilla is ready, then kickboxing champ versus Muay Thai champ. I think that’d be a really cool show.”