“She’s still in the gym” - Jackie Buntan reveals former champ Janet Todd still hard at work despite retirement
Newly crowned ONE women's strawweight kickboxing world champion Jackie Buntan of the United States and the Philippines has taken up the mantle as queen of women's kickboxing. But she says a familiar face helped her get to the top.
Buntan is fresh off a five-round unanimous decision victory over legendary French-Algerian fighter 'C18' Anissa Meksen at ONE 169: Malykhin vs. Reug Reug on Prime Video last weekend, and quickly gave props to her teammate, former ONE women's atomweight kickboxing world champion Janet Todd.
Speaking to Beyond Kick, Buntan had this to say about 'JT':
"Yeah, Janet is retired, but she's still in the gym training and she's been a huge help for me in this fight. She has actually been my main training partner for this fight, which I'm so grateful for because she has a full time job, even prior to her retirement."
Buntan, of course, looked absolutely phenomenal against Meksen, and delivered one of her most complete performances to date against a legendary opponent.
But she also knows that if it weren't for Todd's help, she would not be where she is today.
ONE 169: Malykhin vs. Reug Reug on Prime Video took place live from the historic Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand last 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.
Jackie Buntan thanks the Philippines and Filipino people for support: "It's a really cool feeling"
27-year-old Californian Jackie Buntan fights under two flags -- the United States and the Philippines. But it's the latter that she has recently thanked for the immense outpouring of support.
She told ONE Championship:
"It's a really cool feeling and it's cool to know that I'll always have the support of my people even if I wasn't even born there and they're still taking me in. So that's one thing about Filipinos. We're always very passionate. And if you're Filipino, doing something big, they're gonna be rocking with you no matter what."
Stay tuned to Sportskeeda MMA for all the latest news and updates surrounding Jackie Buntan's next fight.