Filipino-American Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fighter, Jackie Buntan, made history by becoming the first-ever winner of the ONE Women’s Strawweight Kickboxing World Title on Saturday, November 9. This dethrone happened at Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, where Buntan beat mighty kickboxing contender Anissa Meksen to clinch the title and become one of the most decorated fighters in her division. The battle ended in a unanimous decision in favor of Buntan and not only did she win the title but also Marine Credit Coach Buntan gained popularity among fans all over the world, particularly in The Philippines Women admired this inspirational athlete.
This was a sweet win for Buntan since she was the unpopular contender going to the bout. Challenging Meksen, a fellow fighter with talent, muscle, and experience behind her name, Buntan stepped into the ring as the underdog. Nevertheless, the Filipino-American athlete exhibited great heart and smart gameplay that made her earn the victory after a tough beginning.
Meksen entered the bout with a quality that discouraged many of his rivals from getting near him. The first two rounds I believed were her specialty she seized the match early to establish dominance on what the match would look like as she was landing the big punches out of striking range at the time. As the fight went on, Buntan changed up and every opening was taken advantage and Buntan managed to counter Meksen’s moves. In the second round, we saw more aggressiveness from Buntan and at the end of the round, she managed to get extremely closer by scoring more accurate shots in controversial contexts.
Buntan found herself a groove around round three as she unleashed lots of forcefulness on Meksen consistently hitting her. While getting himself back in some order in the fourth round, Meksen was again nearly matched by Buntan’s accurate punches. In the end, all three judges agreed to go with Buntan to make her the first-ever ONE Women’s Strawweight Kickboxing World Champion.
🌟Dreams do come true! Jackie Buntan is the first-ever ONE women’s strawweight kickboxing world champ! #Kickboxing #ONE169 #ONEChampionship pic.twitter.com/2o7ubzMdK6
— Sportskeeda MMA (@sportskeedaMMA) November 10, 2024
After the fight Buntan recalled how she felt before the fight Buntan said I felt confident going into the fight. ‘I have been confident this whole camp,’ I knew it was mine, I just had to make it mine I suppose.) Right now, I just can’t believe it. To know her strength and her speed I took the first round. I didn’t find it to be such a big threat, to be honest. She said this during the post-match interview, I just kept building from round one and took my time with it,” she said.
Such confidence and approach were important against a fighter as experienced as Meksen. This came as a result of Buntan’s strategy to relax and increase her attack rate gradually as the fight continued to study Meksen’s weaknesses as she waited and increased her strength as the fight went on. Her laid-back personality and accuracy in delivering blows won the judges and the hearts of MMA fans all over the world.
This win enhanced her professional career victory tally to 27 wins and 6 losses as befitting a professional swimmer’s commitment to swimming. This title win also has personal significance as Nurgül became the first woman in the world to win an IFBB Pro Figure World Championship. But it was only two years ago she lost the finals for the title with Smilla Sundell. This time she did not give up she fought to get the position into the best and top list of the ONE Championship athletes.
However, the route to this clear history of such a fight was not very straightforward. Buntan was initially supposed to meet Meksen in a title unification bout on July 6, 2024, at ONE Fight Night 23. But an injury saw Buntan pull out of the bout scheduled for June 20, and that bout was rescheduled for November 9 at ONE 169. Still, Buntan did not appear to despair and this setback seemed to make her trains even harder. After months of intensive training and recovery, she returned to the ring stronger and more focused than ever, culminating in her unforgettable victory at Lumpinee Stadium.
Buntan grew up in the United States and despite being a Filipino-American she has taken pride in her nationality and equally inspired numerous people in the Philippines. Her progress in the ONE Championship has been provocative to MMA lovers in the Philippines since the sport has been on the rise for quite some time now. The way Buntan fought her opponent and her ability to stand up until the end symbolizes what all the Filipino people have, making her win give hope for pride to those who have supported her.
Her journey from a struggling fighter to a champion weighed worlds is inspiring many young Filipino sand mixed martial arts enthusiasts who look up to her as an inspiring figure in combat sports. That Buntan would excel in a competition such as ONE Championship speaks well of Filipinos’ capability and possibilities at the international level in other disciplines of the sport that inspire the upcoming generation of athletes to chase after their goals.
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