"I feel strong" - Jackie Buntan thriving as kickboxing queen in strawweight division

ONE women's strawweight kickboxing world champion Jackie Buntan believes that competing in the 125-pound division, be it under Muay Thai or kickboxing rules, is where she belongs.

During a sit-down interview with Combat Sports Today, the Boxing Works standout explained why she plans to stay in the division for the foreseeable future:

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"I could comfortably make strawweight. The last fight in March was at catchweight. That was because I had come off of a hiatus last year. I had to pull out of a fight due to some other reasons. I'm a natural strawweight. At 125, I feel strong. I feel healthy at that. So making that [weight] is no issue."

Asked whether she would consider moving up to the 135-pound striking divisions if the strawweight limit becomes a struggle for her, Buntan responded:

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"No, definitely not. 125 is perfect."

Watch the entire interview here:

The fight Buntan referred to was against Martine Michieletto at ONE Fight Night 20, where they agreed to fight at a catchweight of 130 pounds long before the event.

Defeating the four-time ISKA Kickboxing world champion marked her biggest win yet in ONE. That was until she dismantled the iconic Anissa Meksen at ONE 169 on Nov. 8 to win the inaugural ONE women's strawweight kickboxing crown.

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Jackie Buntan shares her career plans

Jackie Buntan may be the reigning women's 125-pound kickboxing queen, but that does not mean she is turning her back on Muay Thai — the sport where she started her career.

In a lengthy interview with Beyond Kick before ONE 169, the Filipino-American striking wizard mentioned:

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"The goal is to keep defending the kickboxing belt, then dabble with both kickboxing and Muay Thai in terms of who I want to fight. I'm not really thinking about anyone or focused on anyone."

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