September 3, 2025 | 12:25pm
MANILA, Philippines — Filipino-American mixed martial artist Jackie Buntan is fighting for the ONE women’s strawweight muay thai world championship belt this weekend.
Buntan, also the current ONE women’s strawweight kickboxing world champion, will be taking on Austria’s Stella Hemetsberger for the muay thai title in the main event of ONE Fight Night 35 in Thailand on September 6.
In a statement, Buntan said she aims to take her place among the elite Filipino fighters. A win would make her a rare two-sport ONE world champion.
“Being a Filipino-American fighter means the world to me, especially representing it on the biggest stage, ONE Championship, and being a woman at that,” Buntan said.
“There are a lot of Filipino athletes, and there are a select few that make it onto a grand stage like that. I’m lucky and blessed to be one of them,” she added.
“I pride myself on authenticity and relatability, and I think if anyone can find any sort of relatability in my story, then that’s a win for me. So, yeah, it means the world.”
Buntan is riding a five-match win streak. She won the kickboxing title last year after a unanimous decision win over Anissa Meksen.
But now, she will try to return to her roots – muay thai – as she showcases her Filipino roots.
“I’m just doing what I want to do. I haven’t forced anything in my career. And just by simply doing what I believed to be right, fun, and correct in my life,” Buntan stressed.
“These opportunities opened up, and being a Filipino representing that, it just means the world to me. So, it’s a bit of both. It’s an honor, but it also almost feels surreal because I’m living my normal life.”
Aside from Buntan, other Filipino fighters who are champions in the fighting promotion are Denice Zamboanga and Joshua Pacio.
Pacio himself is eyeing to make history. The men’s strawweight MMA world champion will try to win the flyweight MMA crown against Yuya Wakamatsu at ONE 173 in Tokyo later this year.
“It’s a new movement, a new generation coming, especially with me and Denice [Zamboanga] being women. It was Brandon Vera, frickin’ legend, and pretty much all the Team Lakay boys,” Buntan shared.
“Before I was signed to ONE, those were the Filipinos I knew that were in ONE Championship, and now to be able to be part of that and have another woman like Denice and people like Joshua [Pacio] and Eduard [Folayang] are still here, I think it’s amazing.”
And now, she will try to continue the dominant run of Filipinos in the promotion.
“I think it just shows that Filipinos have solidified their spot in combat sports, and I think we’re just getting better and better and getting more attention on the sport,” Buntan said.
“If you’re Filipino, you have heart, you have grit, that I know for sure. Whatever we put our mind to, we’re gonna get it done. And if there are hard moments in between, that does not faze us. So, I think that is the perfect complement to the world of athletics, especially combat sports. That’s something I know I bring every time, being a Filipina, especially being a Filipina-American.”
