Jackie Buntan carries Filipino pride in quest for history

Only seven fighters in the history of ONE Championship have held two championships in two different sports. 

At ONE Fight Night 35, Jackie Buntan will seek to make history to become not only the second woman, but also the first Filipino to hold a championship in two different sports as she faces Austria’s Stella Hemetsberger for the vacant ONE Women’s Strawweight Muay Thai World Title.

For Buntan, walking out with the Philippine flag and fighting for a country that has a storied combat sports heritage is of the utmost importance.

“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,” she 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. 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,” she added.

Buntan previously made history last November by becoming the fifth Filipino to become a champion after winning the inaugural ONE Women’s Strawweight Kickboxing World Title.

Dropping BOMBS Before Jackie Buntan goes for her second ONE World Title this Friday at ONE Fight Night 35 on @PrimeVideo, flash back to her dominant ONE debut against Wondergirl!#ONEFightNight35 | Sep 5 at 9PM ET
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— ONE Championship (@ONEChampionship) September 4, 2025

 The 28-year-old drew inspiration from Filipino champions such as fellow women’s world title holder Denice Zamboanga, reigning ONE Strawweight MMA World Champion Joshua Pacio, and former ONE Lightweight MMA World Champion Eduard Folayang.

“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,” said Buntan.

As she draws one step closer to solidifying her name as one of the prominent Filipinos in combat sports, Buntan cites the passion and resiliency emanating from her Asian heritage as one of her greatest strengths every time she walks out.

“If you’re Filipino, you have heart, you have grit. 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,” she said. “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.”

Buntan will seek to make history against Stella Hemetsberger for the vacant ONE Women’s Strawweight Muay Thai World Title at ONE Fight Night 35 on September 5 at the Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.

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