Filipina-American striking star Jackie Buntan is fine with being labeled the underdog entering her second shot at ONE Championship gold.
With that in mind, Buntan plans to shock the world when she takes on kickboxing GOAT Anissa Meksen for the inaugural ONE Women’s Strawweight Kickboxing World Title at ONE 169: Malykhin vs. Reug Reug inside Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, on November 9.
Up against a great like Meksen and having never competed under kickboxing rules in ONE yet, Buntan is under no illusion that she’ll come in as the favorite fighter in this contest.
She doesn’t mind, though, especially since it’s not the first time she’s the underdog.
“On paper, I’m the underdog. It’s my first kickboxing fight. She has more than double the experience. She’s a multiple-time World Champion,” Buntan said.
“So, for me, it just reminds me of going into my first fight with [Nat] ‘Wondergirl’ [Jaroonsak]. I was a big underdog, odds stacked against me, and that’s my motivation – just go out there and showcase a new style every time I fight,” she added.
“Showcase new adaptability, be better than my last performance, and win against one of the best kickboxers.”
While she won’t have the luxury of wearing 4-ounce gloves to maximize her power, she still believes in her ability to hit hard, promising that when she connects, Meksen is going to feel it.
“I’m very confident in the strength and power that I have and the athleticism that I have,” Buntan said.
“I make sure to have no shortcuts when it comes to strength transitioning into technique. I want to make sure that I’m doing the technique correctly, with full power.
“I think, just like all my matches, that’s definitely going to be one of my strong suits. It doesn’t matter that the gloves are bigger; I think the strength is still going to be there.”
With the chance to join the elites of the kickboxing world, Buntan has no plans of wasting this opportunity in front of her.
“It would mean the world. Absolutely everything. You know, it’s the reason why I do this. There’s more to it, but that’s obviously the end goal, is you want to work toward something that solidifies your greatness, that solidifies your name in the sport,” she said.
“This is just the steppingstone, the first step in order to do that. I didn’t really see myself fighting professionally until my early 20s, though being able to have another chance to compete for a World Title in a different sport, it’s just an amazing opportunity that I do not take for granted at all. It means a whole lot of things to me. It’s a lifelong journey that I honestly feel like I’m just beginning.”
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