Jackie Buntan, a Filipino-American Muay Thai artist, may have her sights set on a rematch with Smilla Sundell, the current world champion of the strawweight division in ONE Muay Thai. However, due to the fact that the Swedish dynamo will be competing in a kickboxing match at ONE Friday Fights 18, that strategy will have to be delayed for a little while longer.
The representative of Fairtex Gym faces off against Milana Bjelogrlic for the very first time that evening, on May 26, at the illustrious Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand. The match will be held in accordance with the rules of kickboxing.
When Jackie Buntan and ‘The Hurricane’ competed for the inaugural strawweight Muay Thai gold at ONE 156 in April of the previous year, ‘The Hurricane’ was victorious and ended Jackie Buntan’s winning streak of three matches.
The 18-year-old’s offensive arsenal was working perfectly that same evening, as she finished off Buntan with some piercing elbows, sharp punches, and a pair of punishing kicks on her way to a win that was decided by unanimous decision and was crystal clear. She took home the victory.
Since Buntan has had the opportunity to experience the Stockholm native’s strength firsthand, he is confident that the rising star can successfully transition to kickboxing and establish himself as a contender in the sport.
And because Buntan’s thoughts are still focused on the possibility of sharing the Circle with the lanky divisional queen, she wants to keep an eye on the fight so that she may study it and make mental notes of ways that she can even the score if they ever meet again in the future.
The spokesperson from Boxing Works stated the following in an interview with ONE Championship:
“You can count on me to keep an eye out for it.”
For her part, the striker, who is 25 years old, has been consistently getting better, and the consequences of those improvements have been visible under the ONE microscope.
Since losing her world title, the Filipino-American has won two bouts in a row, with her most recent victory coming via technical knockout over Diandra Martin at ONE Fight Night 10, which was ONE’s first on-ground event in the United States.
Fans in North America have the opportunity to view the whole ONE Fight Night 10 program, including Jackie Buntan’s highlight-reel finish, by way of a replay on Amazon Prime.