On November 8, Jackie Buntan will be facing ONE strawweight kickboxer and GLORY legend, Anissa Meksen in a super fight for the inaugural ONE strawweight Kickboxing belt. She sat down with Beyond Kickboxing's Michael A. and talked about her preparation for this fight, her thoughts on her opponent, Anissa Meksen, her recovery from injury, and her experience training alongside other pros like Janet Todd, KANA, and Takeru.
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Hello Jackie, thank you very much for giving us an interview during your busy schedule. I know you're probably focused on your fight with Anissa Meksen, so I just wanted to start out by checking in and asking you: How is your day going?
Like you said, I've been busy with camp, but I'm kind of in the crunch time of it right now. So I’m slowly, slowly starting to taper off a bit, but I'm doing well.
This fight was originally supposed to happen back in July, but unfortunately you had an injury. How has that recovery process been going? And how are you feeling now heading into this upcoming fight?
I broke my toe on my left foot pretty badly, but the recovery was going great. I broke it during sparring on a Saturday morning, and that Monday right after I just jumped straight into physical therapy and rehab for it pretty much four times a week for a month straight.
I was going super hard on it. I had nothing else to do. I couldn't train so I figured to just put all my eggs into making sure I come back strong, and I was able to start camp completely healthy with no injuries. The toe has been great, so I can't complain.
It seems like your style in Muay Thai is pretty well suited for kickboxing. Did you do anything different to train for this fight in particular? Was there anything that you had to change up?
Yeah, we definitely added some new things, but it wasn't a whole lot. It wasn't as if we had to throw away my original style. I knew it's pretty much just adding more tools to the arsenal that I already have stylistically.
Besides technique, it’s the cadence of things. I was fighting three-round fights before whereas this is five rounds, so the cadence is going to be different, the style is going to be different, the game plan, will of course, be different. I wouldn't say it's a complete change in style, but I think the fans are going to see a completely different side of me and of my adaptability that I feel like I've been showing in my fights, and I want to just be able to continue to show that.
I want to talk a little bit about your opponent, Anissa Meksen. She's very accomplished and is considered a legend in the sport. How do you feel about making your kickboxing debut against someone as accomplished as her, and were you surprised at all by the immediate title fight?
Ever since I was signed to the company, I've been pushing to compete in kickboxing as well. After my last fight against Martine Michieletto, I personally messaged [ONE] and said, "Hey, I want a kickboxing fight, I want a kickboxing fight." Having it go straight into a title wasn't shocking for me. I know I haven't had any kickboxing fights, but I think I'm probably the most active strawweight in the ONE championship roster for women. So I think it made sense to put me in there for the inaugural title shot.
I was excited to get an opponent like Anissa. Like you said, she's a legend in the game. She's very accomplished, more experienced. But for any athlete, not just in combat sports— that's what you want. You want to compete against the very best in the world and challenge yourself, test yourself, and that's the only way you're going to get better and solidify your name in the sport.
You mentioned your fight with Martine Michieletto, who is actually Beyond Kickboxing's number one ranked bantamweight. Even though you beat her in Muay Thai rules, do you feel like you're kind of an underdog coming into this fight against Meksen?
Yeah, I think so. When we first got the offer way earlier in the year, before I even had my injury, I thought I was an underdog as well. Like I said, she's a legend in the game. I remember watching her fight when I was still a teenager, so she's made her mark in this sport time and time again. I don't have a problem being an underdog.
I think going into ONE Championship in my first fight fighting Wondergirl, I was slated as the underdog. No one knew who I was. I was making my pro debut and I don't need to prove anything to anyone but myself. So it doesn't change anything for me.
The last time you fought for a title was against Smilla Sundel in Muay Thai. Unfortunately you suffered a decision loss, but you did pretty well, especially early on. Is that a fight that you want to run back? A possible rematch for the Muay Thai title?
As of right now the [strawweight Muay Thai] belt is vacant, but for 2025, the goal is to keep defending the kickboxing belt once I get it next week, then dabble with both kickboxing and Muay Thai in terms of who I want to fight. I'm not really thinking about anyone or focused on anyone but the girl in front of me next week on Friday.
Your gym mate, Janet Todd, has won belts in both kickboxing and Muay Thai as well. Does she still train after retirement and has she been helping you at the gym or giving you advice to prepare for this fight?
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.
So even though she's retired and still working, she still finds the time to be able to help me. She has been a huge help giving me what I need to see: running through drills, sparring, all of that. She's always in my corner.
It looks like a wide variety of people go through those doors at Boxing Works, from pros at the top of the sport to hobbyists. I even see fellow pros like Takeru and Kana come through and train there on occasion. Have you had the chance to talk to them at all or spar with them? How has the environment at Boxing Works contributed to your success?
Yeah, Takeru has been coming a lot in the past year and last year. He has been training a lot with my training partner, one of our coaches there, Seth Ramos who has been a great help with me for this camp as well. I haven't been able to work with Takeru but I know Takeru has worked with some of the boys we have at the gym.
With KANA, the last time she came was quite a while ago. In 2021, she was actually here for a whole fight camp of mine and was able to train with me. It was some of the best training I’ve had. She's such an awesome person and even better athlete, she really brings a different style and athleticism and talent that opened my eyes to a different level that's out there. I hope you could come back again, KANA, if you’re seeing this!
I've been with Boxing Works since I was a kid and the environment my coach Brian [Popejoy] has made is such a welcoming environment. Everyone is so like-minded and we all work hard and we all focus on the art of it. I think that's the main thing. Everyone is like minded at that gym, which makes it easy to work together and succeed.
Women's martial arts has grown so much in the past couple of years. Despite all that, it's still very much a male dominated sport, and you'll be fighting at Lumpinee, which had a tradition of women not being allowed to touch the ring, let alone fight in it. What would winning a title in Lumpinee mean for you in terms of women's representation in the sport?
Oh, it would mean everything. I was grateful to fight in Lumpinee for the first time earlier this year on an all women's card on International Women's Day. That was a very, very big deal. Being able to do it again with the magnitude of this fight, it's really cool to be a part of history. It’s not just about being able to compete for a belt — it's about having two women at the top of their game, on top of the sport, competing for something so huge and massive in a place where women weren't welcomed in the past. I think it shows that the sport is growing, women's sports is growing and I hope more opportunities like this arise for more females and myself. That would skyrocket females and Muay Thai kickboxing where it deserves to be.
This will be your second time fighting in a ring at the pro level. I wanted your quick opinion on fighting in a cage versus a ring. What are your thoughts on how that type of physical environment can influence a fight? Do you have a preference for either?
Yeah, it's funny, I turned professional in ONE championship so all of my pro fights were in four-ounce gloves, which is kind of funny as a Muay Thai fighter. This will be my first pro fight in boxing gloves. I was able to fight in the ring for the first time earlier this year against Martine.
I never really thought about it. I guess it kind of feels the same. The geography is obviously different when you're put up against the corner on the ropes, while the cage has no corners. You just hit a wall.
I don't know which one I prefer. Maybe it's just because I've had more experience in the circle, but the circle is nice and fun to compete in. The ring is no different. We have a ring back here at boxing works that we train and spar out of. It’s much smaller than the one championship ring, but, you know, that's what I grew up on. So anything really.
You're going to be in Thailand next week. Any plans on visiting the Philippines afterwards?
I always say that whenever I fight, "I'm already in Asia. You might as well make another trip out to a different country. It would be so easy and cheap to do." This time around, I'll be flying back home. Just enjoying the holiday season, going back home to family and friends. Hopefully next year if I get a heads up on where the fight would be confirmed then yeah, maybe I could plan a trip going elsewhere.
Is there anything you want to let your fans know or any message for them before your fight?
Thank you all for supporting me. I've had a successful career so far. I feel like I'm at the start of it and even at my lowest points, my losses, you guys still ride for me. That's all I care about. Just having you guys know I'm a good person, a good fighter and that you guys want to ride with me. Thank you!
