Born on July 2, 1997, Jackie Buntan is one of the highest-rated Muay Thai fighters in the world. Currently signed with ONE Championship, she is coming off a win against Martine Michieletto at ONE Fight Night 20: Todd vs. Phetjeeja. Although it was a competitive bout, Buntan ultimately won the fight via a unanimous decision. With that, her current ONE record stands at 6-1.
She started her journey in ONE Championship on February 26, 2021, against Nat Jaroonsak. The 26-year-old got off to a winning start and had a three-fight winning streak. However, she suffered her loss in the promotion against the Muay Thai World Champion Smilla Sundell on April 22, 2022. While she put up a great performance, Buntan ended up losing the bout after 5 rounds of war.
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Since then, the Philipina-American fighter has defeated Amber Kitchen, Diandra Martin, and Martine Michieletto. So the question is, what is next for the former strawweight Muay Thai title contender? In an exclusive interview with Sportsmanor, Jackie Buntan spoke about her long absence from the ring, her last performance, her next opponent, and the possibility of making a jump to MMA.
Jackie Buntan speaks about beating Martine Michieletto after a ten-month break
Jackie Buntan had a big layoff between her fights against Diandra Martin and Martine Michieletto. After the stunning win against Diandra, Buntan took a break of 10 months and did a lot of work on herself to improve her performance inside the ring. The proof is in the pudding after dominating Martine Michieletto during their showdown at ONE Fight Night 20.
So how did it feel to be back inside the ring and doing what she does best? The California native added, “I just feel great being back in the ring doing what I love. I had a big hiatus last year so being able to start the year early with a win makes me super excited for what’s to come!”
Although Buntan won, her opponent’s record was nothing to sneeze at. Michieletto was on a 15-fight win streak before that and she was coming off a win against Buntan’s former opponent Amber Kitchen. Not only that, the Italian fighter has also defeated other elite talents like Veronica Vernocchi, Laura De Blas, and Patricia Axling. But, during the interview, Jackie confessed that she was not even aware of the record.
She said, “It’s funny, I had no clue about her 15 fight win streak until a couple days before the fight. It didn’t change anything at all, I’m confident I have a unique style and that she hasn’t fought anyone like me before. I knew Martine was a strong opponent, I guess what surprised me most is her backwards movement. I think this win solidifies my spot as the Number 1 contender in the strawweight division. I’ve mentioned this countless of times but I’d love to get into kickboxing next.”
So what’s next for Jackie Buntan? Is there any specific opponent she wants to target next? While there isn’t any particular fighter that the Muay Thai star wants to call out, Buntan does want to try out her hands at kickboxing. Aside from kickboxing, is there any interest from her side make a switch to MMA?
Buntan explains why she has “no interest” in MMA
Muay Thai fighters have a great track record of doing amazing things in MMA. Stamp Fairtex is the biggest example of it. After her initial days of breaking through as a Muay Thai fighter, Fairtex created history when she became the first-ever three-sport world champ in ONE Championship. She currently holds the ONE women’s atomweight Muay Thai title, atmoweight kickboxing title, and the atomweight MMA titles.
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However, it does not seem like Jackie Buntan is running after the same record right away. But why so? Buntan explained, “I have no interest at the moment to transition into MMA. There’s still plenty I have to do within the Muay Thai and kickboxing circuit.”
What do you make of her decision to stay away from MMA for the time being? Do you think Jackie is making the right decision? And, who do you want to see her fight next? Let us know in the comments below.