Jackielou Buntan was born on July 2, 1997, in Palos Verdes Estates, California, and began training at Boxing Works in Redondo Beach, Southern California, as a preteen. This is the gym where she still trains today, under coach Bryan Popejoy and alongside teammate and former ONE champion Janet “JT” Todd. She represented the United States at the 2018 IFMA Pan American Championship and built a strong amateur and professional record in Muay Thai and kickboxing in the years that followed.
Buntan made her ONE Championship debut on February 26, 2021, with a victory over Nat Jaroonsak. She soon received her first title opportunity, but lost to Smilla Sundell in an inaugural ONE Women’s Strawweight Muay Thai title fight in April 2022. She then earned another title opportunity in kickboxing through a series of victories. On November 8, 2024, at ONE 169 in Lumpinee Stadium, she defeated Anissa Meksen by unanimous decision after five rounds. With that victory, she became the inaugural ONE Women’s Strawweight Kickboxing World Champion.
After winning the title, Buntan expressed her ambition to hold both the kickboxing and Muay Thai titles simultaneously. However, on September 5 or 6, 2025, she lost a Muay Thai world title fight to Austria’s Stella Hemetsberger. She subsequently defended her kickboxing title in a direct rematch against Hemetsberger on February 13, 2026, at ONE Fight Night 40. Hemetsberger won by split decision and took over the world title.
As of September 10, 2026, Jackie Buntan is therefore no longer a reigning world champion. She is a former inaugural champion, and no follow-up fight has currently been publicly announced.
United States
