“Just go with the flow” - Jackie Buntan recalls how California’s laid-back vibe helped develop her persona as a fighter
Jackie Buntan's free-flowing yet powerful style makes her one of the most exciting fighters on the ONE Championship roster, and a huge part of how she developed her intriguing offense was her general upbringing.
The Filipino-American standout grew up in California, and the state's laid-back atmosphere would eventually help develop her interesting fighting style.
In an interview with ONE Championship, Buntan said she learned not to take herself too seriously and just go with whatever cards she's dealt with.
This chill mindset ultimately translated to how Buntan approached her opponents inside the cage or ring.
Jackie Buntan said:
"The Cali lifestyle has definitely shaped me, groomed me into who I am today. It’s to be super laid back, not take yourself too seriously, and literally just go with the flow of life."
Buntan has since captivated fight fans with her aggressive fighting style that saw her put on an impressive 6-1 record in ONE Championship.
The 27-year-old is also coming off a three-fight winning streak after she upended stiff competition from Aber Kitchen, Diandra Martin, and Martine Michieletto.
That run of wins pushed Buntan to a shot at the inaugural ONE women's strawweight kickboxing world title.
Buntan will face French-Algerian legend Anissa Meksen for the inaugural world title at the stacked ONE 169 card on Nov. 8 in US primetime at the historic Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok.
The entire ONE 169 card is available live and free to all Prime Video subscribers in the United States and Canada.
Jackie Buntan confident she has what it takes to excel in kickboxing just like she did in Muay Thai
Although she's fought exclusively under Muay Thai in her ONE Championship career, Jackie Buntan expressed her confidence ahead of her kickboxing debut in the promotion.
Buntan said in an interview with Sportskeeda MMA that she has no problems jumping into kickboxing and facing one of the sport's greatest-ever competitors.
She said:
"Yeah, the no clinch and no elbow, the transition for that was fine. You know, my strengths come in a lot of my punches and my kicks, punches especially. So, the transition was quite smooth."