"We don't cherry-pick" - Jackie Buntan welcomes all-comers for her newly minted kickboxing world title

Inaugural ONE women's strawweight kickboxing world champion Jackie Buntan is more than happy to defend the throne against any opponent raring to challenge her reign.

In an interview with Combat Sports Today, the Filipino-American stated:

"I've been like that since [my] amateur [days]. I've been like that, obviously, in my professional career. We don't cherry-pick to reach a certain level. As an athlete, especially in combat sports, you can't just be fighting easy fights. You have to be fighting people who are better than you, people who have more experience than you, etc."

Watch the entire interview below:

Buntan captured her first ONE world championship with the performance of a lifetime against French-Algerian striking legend Anissa Meksen at ONE 169 on Nov. 8. The event took place inside the Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.

Securing 26 pounds of gold over 'C18' was a culmination of the hard work that she, along with the help of Boxing Works head coach Brian Popejoy, has invested in her career.

Upsetting one of the most revered names in women's kickboxing and Muay Thai history also gave Buntan her seventh victory under the ONE banner.

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Jackie Buntan acknowledges Filipino fans' support

Jackie Buntan may not have been born and raised in the Philippines, but the archipelagic nation, with a rich background in combat sports, has consistently showered her with love since the start of her ONE career.

Buntan reciprocated that love in a recent interview with ONE:

"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."

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