One Championship is adding a new championship
to the mix in its kickboxing suite.
According to sources close to the situation,
ONE on Prime Video 23 on July 5 will be headlined by an
inaugural 125-pound kickboxing championship match. Anissa
Meksen (103-6, 33 KOs) will toe the line against Jackie
Buntan (6-1, 1 KO) for the newly created strap. Meksen will be
moving up to 125 pounds for this contest, while Buntan will be
switching gears from muay thai to kickboxing. The two ladies will
battle it out atop an evening that will be held in Lumpinee Boxing
Stadium in Bangkok.
Meksen saw an impressive four-fight win streak, one that included
her first three victories under the ONE banner, come to a halt in
December when she came up short against Phetjeeja, born Ninlada
Meekun, for the interim ONE 115-pound kickboxing title.
California’s Buntan worked her way up the amateur circuit until
turning pro in 2021, where she outworked Nat
Jaroonsak, Ekaterina
Vandaryeva and Daniela Lopez in three fights that year. Buntan
then fought for the first ONE women’s 125-pound muay thai belt,
ultimately coming up short to Smilla
Sundell. Since then, Buntan has rattled off three more wins,
with one in 2022, another in 2023 and the third in 2024. Most
recently, the 26-year-old picked up the nod on all three scorecards
over Martine
Michieletto.