"Nothing changes" - Jackie Buntan says fighting Anissa Meksen in Bangkok is par for the course

Jackie Buntan does not mind that her inaugural ONE women's strawweight kickboxing world championship bout with the legendary Anissa Meksen at ONE 169: Malykhin vs. 'Reug Reug' on Friday, Nov. 8, inside the Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, is not happening on her home turf.

The Filipino-American striker said as much in an interview with the Bangkok Post:

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"Yeah, I was bummed that it wasn't in Atlanta. Like you said, it's my home country, my family was gonna come out, friends were coming out. But all my fights have been here in Asia. Nothing changes, nothing's new, I'm used to this. Slight detour if you want to say, but the goal remains the same."

Watch the entire interview here:

Buntan is a must-watch fighter because of how she blends her boxing-centric style with the 'Art of Eight Limbs', which she hopes will be enough to win her first world championship in the world's largest martial arts promotion.

However, the 27-year-old faces an uphill battle against the French-Algerian great as ONE 169 will mark her first kickboxing bout — a sport in which Meksen has won multiple world titles, like the Glory Women's Super Bantamweight and ISKA K-1 bantamweight world championships.

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Jackie Buntan explains her excitement to fight Anissa Meksen

Jackie Buntan prides herself on never backing down from any opponent, especially when she gets to share the circle with an icon like Anissa Meksen.

In an interview with Beyond Kick, the Boxing Works star shared:

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"You want to compete against the very best in the world and challenge yourself, test yourself, and that's the only way you're going to get better and solidify your name in the sport."

ONE 169 will air live and free to all Prime Video subscribers in the United States and Canada.

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