“I felt confident right from the get” - Jackie Buntan had no doubt in her mind that she would beat Anissa Meksen
Newly crowned inaugural ONE women's strawweight kickboxing world champion Jackie Buntan of the Philippines and the United States worked tirelessly for months in preparation for the biggest fight of her career last weekend, when she met French-Algerian legend 'C18' Anissa Meksen in the ONE Championship ring.
The two strawweights went to war for five whole rounds, in a fight that would crown the inaugural ONE women's strawweight kickboxing world champion.
According to Buntan, that intense training camp leading up to this match gave her the confidence she needed to succeed. And succeed she did, as Buntan took a unanimous decision win over her legendary rival in an action-packed ONE 169: Malykhin vs. Reug Reug on Prime Video.
Addressing the media at the official ONE 169: Malykhin vs. Reug Reug on Prime Video post-event press conference backstage, Buntan explained how she felt before she even stepped into the ring with Meksen.
The Filipina-American superstar stated:
"I felt confident right from the get, right from the start, when I stepped in there, I think after the first round, she was kind of playing it more defensive. I was expecting her to come and surge at me, pressure me, and by the start of the third round, I felt pretty confident being able to do it, everything we've been working on. I felt like I was able to see everything. Nothing really came as a surprise either. So yeah, I was confident the whole time."
Jackie Buntan on cloud nine after world title feat: "It just feels surreal"
27-year-old Jackie Buntan still can't believe she is now a ONE world champion, after her historic triumph over legendary Anissa Meksen at ONE 169: Malykhin vs. Reug Reug on Prime Video last weekend.
She told veteran ONE Championship broadcast analyst Mitch Chilson in the ring:
"I’m lost for words. I’ve been training since I was 11. I’m 27 now and I’ve been dreaming about this and hoping about it. It just feels surreal that it’s actually in my arms right now."
ONE 169: Malykhin vs. Reug Reug on Prime Video too place live from the historic Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand on Saturday, November 9. Fans in the United States and Canada can catch all the action via replay on-demand with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription.