ONE 169 results: Jackie Buntan vs. Anissa Meksen
Kicking off the first of three massive ONE world title fights at ONE 169 in Bangkok, Thailand, seven-time titleholder Anissa Meksen returned to martial arts’ biggest global stage for a showdown with heavy-hitting Filipina-American standout Jackie Buntan—the winner leaving as the inaugural ONE strawweight kickboxing queen.
Round 1: Both fighters get things started, trading leg kicks as Meksen looks to control the center of the ring. Meksen looks light on her feet but eats a stiff jab from Buntan. Meksen comes right back with a body kick. Buntan lands another nice jab, and Meksen tries to make her pay with a question mark kick.
They go back to trade calf kicks, and Meksen lands a glancing right hand as we approach 60 seconds left in the opening round. Meksen fires a kick to the body, but Buntan fires back with a one-two combination just before the bell.
Round 2: Meksen comes out and continues to attack Buntan’s lead leg. Buntan fires right back with a combination and appears to be a bit more aggressive in the second stanza. A fiery exchange between the two forces referee Olivier Coste to step in and separate them. As Buntan closes in, Meksen clinches up and appears to land an illegal knee to the face of her opponent. That brings a brief pause to the action as Coste issues a warning to Meksen.
Things pick up right where they left off as Buntan and Meksen put their speed on display. Buntan lands a calf kick but eats a stiff counter jab from Meksen. They trade leg kicks and Buntan appears to land clean with a nice one-two as the round comes to a close.
Round 3: Things get off to a furious start in the third and a clash of heads 30 seconds into the round has Meksen a little frustrated. Meksen fires a kick to the body and Buntan comes right back with a kick of her own to the lead leg of Meksen. Buntan throws a three-punch combination and shows some good head movement, avoiding the counter from Meksen.
Buntan lands a left hook to the body. Meksen comes back with a solid right hand up top. Buntan throws a jab and follows it up with a right to the body. Buntan stands in the phone booth with Meksen and throws a barrage of strikes that again target the body of the French-Algerian. Buntan again lands with the jab and throws an overhand right that gets blocked just before the bell.
Round 4: Buntan and Meksen let their fists fly, and the latter landed in a two-punch combo. Buntan fires right back but eats a right jab on her way in. Meksen marches forward and lets the right hand go again, but Buntan doubles up with a right hand to the body of Meksen before going up top.
Olivier Coste briefly calls time on the bout to warn both fighters about throwing strikes in the clinch. The fight gets back underway and Buntan lands a left jab. Buntan loads up with a combination, but Meksen counters with a stiff leg kick. Meksen tries to close the round with a big right hand but misses the mark.
Round 5: With the fight potentially tied up, Jackie Buntan comes out very expressive in the opening seconds. Buntan lands a big left hook and utilizes her head movement to avoid a head kick from Meksen. Buntan throws a kick of her own that lands low on Meksen which brings us an injury timeout.
The bout gets back underway in short order, and Meksen immediately goes back to attacking the lead leg. Buntan responds with a two-punch combo. Both fighters exchange jabs. Meksen lands a body kick and catches Buntan coming in with a right hand, though she doesn’t get all of it. Meksen throws a left, but Buntan counters with a right hook. Buntan follows that up with a left of her own as the clock winds down.
Meksen and Buntan exchange one final strike apiece before the bell sounds, bringing an end to their 15-minute war.
ONE 169 - Jackie Buntan vs. Anissa Meksen Official Result
After five rounds of brilliant back-and-forth action, Boxing Works sensation Jackie Buntan emerged victorious, scoring a unanimous decision victory over the 103-win veteran to become ONE Championship’s first-ever ONE strawweight kickboxing world champion.
With the win, Buntan moves to 7-1 under the ONE banner and extends her unbeaten streak to four in a row.
Coming up short in her second ONE world title opportunity in 2024, Anissa Meksen fell to 3-2 in won and has now lost back-to-back bouts on martial arts’ biggest global stage.
Official Result: Jackie Buntan defeated Anissa Meksen via unanimous decision (ONE strawweight kickboxing world championship)