“It came naturally to me” - Jackie Buntan reveals working on her boxing to break Anissa Meksen’s puzzle at ONE 169
Jackie Buntan knew she had to perfect one of the most crucial aspects of martial arts to secure a calculated win over Anissa Meksen at ONE 169.
The Filipino-American star revealed on Instagram that she relentlessly worked on her boxing when she beat the Thai-Algerian icon for the inaugural ONE women's strawweight kickboxing world title at Lumpinee Stadium.
The newly minted world champion wrote that she worked on perfecting her movement to help her get into the pocket against Meksen in their Bangkok showdown.
Jackie Buntan wrote:
"We worked enhancing my boxing arsenal; getting inside, smothering, and head movement religiously for months until it came naturally to me. It’s always a cool feeling to add new tools to your game and have it come out freely without any thought. I always strive to be better and showcase new skills every time I step in there… forever learning!"
Buntan always had the power and speed to knock anyone out, but she displayed tremendous growth in her ring work when she squared off the kickboxing legend.
The 27-year-old was fluid in her footwork and had no problems darting in and out of Meksen's range to land two-punch combinations that favored heavily on the judges's scorecards.
Meksen and Buntan traded blows for five arduous rounds in one of the most technical matches in ONE Championship this year.
In the end, Buntan's better accuracy proved vital in securing the unanimous decision win and the inaugural ONE women's strawweight kickboxing world title.
Prime Video subscribers in the United States and Canada can watch the entire replay of ONE 169 on-demand and for free.
Jackie Buntan said she poured everything she had into her training camp for ONE 169
Jackie Buntan had only one task during the lead-up to her first world title in ONE Championship.
In an interview with Beyond Kick, the new ONE women's strawweight kickboxing world champion said she poured her entire energy into preparing for her match against Anissa Meksen.
Buntan said:
"I was going super hard on it. I had nothing else to do. I couldn't train so I figured to just put all my eggs into a basket, making sure I come back strong, and I was able to start camp completely healthy with no injuries."