ONE Championship: Buntan stunned in Strawweight Muay Thai title bout

Stella “Always Hungry” Hemetsberger pulled off a remarkable victory at Bangkok’s Lumpinee Stadium, defeating American-Filipino star Jackie Buntan to capture the vacant ONE Women’s Strawweight Muay Thai world title at ONE Fight Night 35 on Saturday.

The Austrian dynamo entered the Bangkok main event as an underdog against the division’s reigning kickboxing queen. But when the five-round battle was done, the scorecards told the story of an upset with lasting significance: Hemetsberger became the first Austrian fighter to hold a ONE World Championship belt.

The contest pivoted dramatically in the first round. Buntan looked sharp early, staggering Hemetsberger with a clean left hook that had the crowd on edge. Yet the 27-year-old responded instantly, unleashing a pair of crushing counter right hands.

Both shots sent Buntan to the canvas, handing Hemetsberger a commanding advantage that proved decisive.

Though visibly rocked, Buntan refused to fold. She regrouped behind her crisp combinations and forward pressure, forcing Hemetsberger to dig deep across the championship rounds.

The Filipino-American star found moments of success in the later stages, backing her rival up with flurries to the head and body. But every time the fight threatened to swing back, Hemetsberger’s resilience and the memory of those first-round knock-downs kept the outcome tilted in her favour.