Jackie Buntan went to war with Anissa Meksen for the inaugural ONE Women’s Strawweight Kickboxing Championship at ONE 169 and emerged with her first piece of ONE Championship gold.
The razor-thin battle went down to the wire, but Buntan’s surge in the championship rounds was enough for the judges to award her the contest.
When her hand was raised, Buntan relished the special moment with her Boxing Works team.
“I mean, I can’t even put it into words. You know, I’ve been with Bryan [Popejoy] since I was a kid, since I started this whole journey, and being able to win this with him by my side, it feels like a dream. I can’t put anything else into words about it,” Buntan said after the event.
Buntan shared that she was surprised Meksen did not pressure her more throughout the contest. The Californian mentioned she was prepared for a more aggressive opponent, which allowed her to get more comfortable as the fight went along.
However, Buntan was still complimentary of the all-time great at the post-event press conference.
“Yeah, Anissa is a legend in the game. I remember watching her when I was still in high school. So it was a very big fight, a very big opportunity, but that’s the type of fight I wanted, especially for the belt. You’ve got to beat the best to be the best,” Buntan said.
“I didn’t take her lightly. I didn’t underestimate her at all. But going in there, I felt so confident. I felt like I was the better fighter right before the [first] round even started, to be honest.”
Buntan will return to the United States with gold over her shoulder and an uncertain outlook on what will come next. Regardless, she will have options.
It is clarity that Buntan hopes will begin taking shape in the division for both kickboxing and Muay Thai. And she is not closing the door on a potential rematch with Smilla Sundell for the ONE Women’s Strawweight Muay Thai Title in 2025.
“I think the strawweight division in both Muay Thai and kickboxing is still building. I feel like there needs to be clear rankings. But yeah, next year the goal is to keep defending the kickboxing belt and go for the Muay Thai belt and hold both belts at the same time,” Buntan stated.
U.S. and Canadian Amazon Prime subscribers can relive every moment of ONE 169 on demand at Prime Video.