ONE Championship: ‘fearless’ Jackie Buntan resumes her quest for the strawweight Muay Thai crown that got away
- Filipina-American Buntan says she has put the tough defeat in a title decider two years against world champion Smilla Sundell behind her
- She now faces Italian Martine Michieletto, who has won her past 15 fights and is considered a worthy adversary, at ONE Fight Night 20 in Bangkok
In Muay Thai everyone loses eventually. No fighter ever gets to retire undefeated but there is one loss that clearly hit Jackie Buntan hard.
That defeat, of course, was in April 2022, when the Filipina-American Buntan locked horns with Smilla Sundell of Sweden for the inaugural strawweight Muay Thai title at ONE Championship 156 in Singapore.
And lost, after a bruising, no-holds-barred encounter.
It was clearly a setback for the Los Angeles-born-and-raised fighter, but Buntan thinks it was a valuable learning experience.
ONE 156: Sundell, Buntan agree ‘we’ll meet again’ after brutal battle
“I took so much away from that loss. Losing sucks, especially losing a world title but there is no growth without defeat. You are going to lose here and there, that’s part of the game. I’ve learned so much mentally, physically I’ve improved so much and I’m fearless after that.”
At ONE Fight Night 20 in Bangkok this weekend, she faces Italian Martine Michieletto, who has won her past 15 fights. Buntan feels she will be a worthy adversary.
“Everyone who is stepping in the ring on this level is a worthy opponent. She’s a good southpaw, good linear movement. I’m expecting a fight but I know I’m gonna come out on top.”
Buntan was actually scheduled to face Sundell in a rematch at ONE Fight Night 14 but pulled out of that bout for reasons that have still not been disclosed.
It has been almost a year since she last competed, but the 26-year-old says she has put the time to good use.
“Even with some time off last year, I’m always trying to perfect the craft, always training. I’m ready.”
Her last competitive outing came at ONE Fight Night 10 last May. It was perhaps the best performance of Buntan’s career as she knocked out Diandra Martin with a perfectly timed right hook in the opening round in Denver.
Coming after a defeat of Amber Kitchen at One on Prime video 5, that made it back-to-back wins since her defeat to Sundell, and Buntan believes she has made several improvements in the wake of her first professional loss.
“Ever since the Amber fight I think I was able to showcase my movement more. In my last fight in Colorado, I was able to press forward and be the aggressor but still have my movement.”
The loss to Sundell did cause Buntan to pause, take stock and reassess her career trajectory. She knows that time is on her side and is willing to wait to realise her dream.
“Any combat athlete’s dream is to obtain that world title and I was able to compete for it so early in my career. I always had it in my head that ‘by this age I’m gonna have it’ but that’s scratched because stuff happens in life. Anything good always comes in good time, organically. I’m a big believer in that.”
She got to fight on ONE Championship’s maiden event in the US last year – an occasion Buntan describes as a “special” moment – but is also looking forward to fighting at Lumpinee Stadium for the first time.
“I’m definitely excited for more US shows but I haven’t been to Thailand since 2017 so it’s really special to be here,” she told the Post.
Besides competing at ONE Fight Night 20, she will also be keeping a close eye on Poland’s Martyna Kierczyńska. The strawweight, who made a successful debut last month, faces Ekaterina Vandaryeva on Saturday and is clearly on Buntan’s radar.
“She came out and showed out and I think it was a last-minute fight. She’s like a firecracker, a lot of forwards pressure. We are going to meet sometime in the future; it’s inevitable.”
Buntan told SCMP she was open to fighting in boxing or mixed rules matches, but the strawweight Muay Thai title is her main goal. She knows a win over Michieletto might be enough to earn a second crack at it.
