28-year-old Jackie Buntan did not grow up like your typical SoCal girl. When she was only 11 years old, she started training Muay Thai, and she quickly amassed a 20-5 amateur record. And, even today, she still trains at the same gym, Boxing Works, under the tutelage of the same coach, Bryan Popejoy. And, her main training partner is former ONE Championship two-sport titleholder Janet Todd.
In Feb. 2021, Buntan made her pro debut under the ONE Championship banner, successfully beating Nat “Wondergirl” Fairtex. She also won her next two fights, and only 14 months after her promotional debut, she was set to fight Sweden’s Smilla Sundell for the inaugural ONE women’s strawweight Muay Thai title. However, the five-foot-eight-inch-tall Swede proved to be too much, and Buntan suffered her first professional loss by unanimous decision.
“Obviously, you know, it didn’t go my way,” Buntan told Combat Press. “But, that’s the name of the game, especially, in the world of athletics. You know, you’re going to have some losses, some tough ones like that. That fight taught me so much, and I feel like I’ve grown so much from that fight mentally and, of course, physically. I, moreso, mentally matured from that fight.”
After missing the title shot, Buntan got right back to work, and in the win column. She picked up a decision over Amber Kitchen, knocked the snot out of Diandra Martin at ONE’s first show on U.S. soil, and then picked up a decision over one of the top female strikers in the world in Italy’s Martine Michieletto. This set her up for the biggest fight of her young career, when she faced kickboxing legend Anissa Meksen for the inaugural ONE women’s kickboxing title at ONE 169 last November. After five rounds, Buntan picked up the unanimous decision, as well as her first pro title, and it was her pro kickboxing debut.
“That was a very big one for me, especially for my first kickboxing fight and having it for the kickboxing title.” said Buntan. “I feel like I’ve worked my way up into that opportunity. But. to have it be against a legend like Anissa Meksen was, you know, a tall order at her experience level. [Her experience] triples mine, and she’s just a legend in the game, you know? I think everyone knows that. So, that fight was a monumental one for me for sure. But, that’s exactly how I wanted it to go for it to be my first world title against a legend like that.”
After winning the kickboxing title, Buntan still had her sights set on winning the Muay Thai belt, since that is her main sport. And, ideally, she would have liked to get another carck at Sundell. However, the first time they met, the tall Swede was only 17 years old, so making 125 pounds was doable. However, by Age 19, she was unable to make the weight, as she missed by a pound and a half at ONE Fight Night 22, and she was subsequently stripped of her title. She still won that fight by second-round TKO in May 2024. However, last month, after deciding she could no longer make the weight, she was released from the roster, as that was ONE’s heaviest women’s divison.
“When I fought her back in 2022, she was obviously smaller,” Buntan explained. “She made the weight, but she was tall, and she wasn’t even 20 back then. So, [her release] really didn’t surprise me. I kind of knew that she’d have a few fights in the strawweight division and would naturally just have to move up. She’s a tall girl, a big girl, at that. So, it didn’t really shock me.
“It wasn’t like the end of the world for me, you know? If you she can’t make that weight, you can’t make that weight. But, at this point, it’s kind of just over with. You know, I have a new opponent and new challenger.”
At ONE Fight Night 35, on Friday, Sep. 5, Buntan will finally get her shot at the vacant ONE strawweight Muay Thai title. Only this time, she will be facing Stella Hemetsberger. The Austrian won multiple titles as an amateur striker, and she is 7-2 as a pro. She is currently 3-0 in ONE with two kickboxing wins before winning her promotional Muay Thai debut in April with a first-round knockout by body kick. She is another taller opponent, sporting three-inch height advantage over Buntan. The American knows quite a bit about her next opponent.
“We’ve followed each other on social media for quite a bit,” Buntan said. “And that was, I think, before she started fighting on ONE Friday Fights. And then, she’s had great momentum through that, earning herself a contract. So yeah, you know, I’ve been familiar with her career so far.
“She has a more Thai style, of course, training out there in Thailand. You know, she has background in kickboxing. You could kind of see it in her style as well – heavy kicker. But all around, I think she’s a great athlete. You know, I think, all around, she has all her bases covered – her striking, her clinch.”
Buntan is not one to predict the outcome of a match, but winning is definitely on the docket. That being said, she commonly runs scenarios through her head, as any fighter worth her salt would do.
“100-percent, I’m very big on visualization – like absolutely everything from me going into the arena to me leaving. But yeah, I never give a distinct prediction on a fight, but I put myself through mental scenarios. You know, if I’m in a certain situation, I know how to get out of it or what to expect. But regardless, I see myself coming out victorious. I see myself being a two-sport world champion.”
With a Muay Thai background, winning the ONE Muay Thai title would be a major life and career accomplishment. But, how does that measure against a win over a legend for a kickboxing title in her first pro kickboxing bout? That is a huge accomplishment in and of itself.
“To be honest, I view them both just as significant, as important,” Buntan elaborated. “I think each fight camp I have a different feel, a different energy. You know, my last fight camp compared to this fight camp, same deal. It had a different energy, different fuel for the whole camp. But yeah, like I said, Anissa is a legend. You know, that was a big fight for me, my first world title, first kickboxing fight. But, I never downplay an opponent. You know, I think Stella is a great challenger – worthy of it at that. These are both two important fights for me and the mindset still the same.
“There’s always a lot of factors that play into it. You know, obviously a fight, training, fighting itself is a stressful sport to be in. But out outside factors as well, you know, you know, it’s no secret. I posted about it on my Instagram last year that I lost my dad like a month after that last fight. So, you know, things are different. Yeah. I don’t know how else to explain it, but it’s a different energy, not a bad energy. It’s all still good, but just a different feel.
The loss of a loved one, especially a parent, is something that some people can never recover from. But, as young as she is, as tough as she is, and as big of a career trajectory as she has in front of her, Buntan has persevered. As much as her father didn’t like wath his daighter getting punched and kicked, he always wanted her to succeed. That is something she will always carry with her.
“It was an interesting time,” Buntan expressed. “It still is. You know, it hasn’t even been a full year. But I did make it known that I needed time off after that happened. Of course, you know, I told my agent, ‘don’t book me for any fights,’ because I just want to make sure I’m with family and make sure my mental health is good. I really took that time – the whole, you know, first half of this year and really a little bit longer – to make sure I’m good. And this is something that I want to still have the strength to do, which I do definitely still have that fire. And yeah, I think that was the biggest thing for me – making sure I took that step back when I needed to.”
At ONE Fight Night 35, Buntan has the opportunity to become a two-sport titleholder, but getting past Hemetsberger will be no small task. However the fight goes down, it should be an exciting bout to headline a stacked card.
“I don’t know if I’ve said this in the past, but I mean, it’s not shade to anybody specifically, but I think the fight fans want to see fights that make sense,” Buntain said. “I think you yourself would probably like that too. You know, two challengers, two athletes that are worthy of an opportunity. I think me and Stella are the perfect challengers at that. I think it makes sense. She worked her way to the title. I worked my way into it. I get to go back to my bread and butter – my passion of Muay Thai. I know the fans like to see me in there, and I always try to showcase and perform better than my last one. I think I’ve been successful at that, so this is going to be no different.”
And, so fans are aware, a win bonus, as well as a performance bonus would be icing on the title-win cake. However, of all the material things Buntan could spend her money on, there is one thing that is not written in the clouds.
“I would never own a red car,” Buntan admitted. “I could never do it. It’s very specific, but not for me. I’m very open with colors in terms of like clothing, materialistic objects, all that. Besides the car, I’m very open with different colors and whatnot. But, even if it’s like a Maserati, I’m sorry, no.”
ONE Fight Night 35 airs live on Amazon Prime Video starting at 9 p.m. ET.