Jackie Buntan Vows Patient Approach After Learning Costly Lessons in First Stella Hemetsberger War
Jackie Buntan absorbed two knockdowns in the opening round at ONE Fight Night 35 last September, weathered momentum shifts across five brutal rounds, and believed she landed the heavier shots throughout their strawweight Muay Thai war. The scorecards disagreed. Stella Hemetsberger edged her by unanimous decision to claim the vacant ONE World Title, forcing the Filipino-American to confront where execution fell short despite showing undeniable grit.
Now the rematch arrives February 13 at ONE Fight Night 40 at Lumpinee Stadium, though the stakes have shifted dramatically. The 28-year-old Buntan defends her ONE Strawweight Kickboxing World Championship this time, the belt she captured fourteen months ago when she outclassed legendary striker Anissa Meksen across five rounds at ONE 169. The rule set is different, the responsibility is hers, and the lessons learned from their first encounter have reshaped her entire tactical approach.
Buntan walked away from that September defeat with clarity about what mattered most. While she believed her forward pressure gave Hemetsberger problems and her power shots landed cleaner, the California native recognized how certain moments allowed the Austrian to regain control when patience abandoned her completely.
“That specific loss, especially how it happened — getting knocked down twice in the first round but staying in it and picking it up in rounds two through five — I think that’s the definition of me as a fighter, as an athlete,” Buntan said. “There’s no quit in me. There’s no quit in my heart. I’m in it until that bell rings.”
That resilience impressed everyone watching, but resilience alone doesn’t win World Title fights when impatience creates unnecessary opportunities. Buntan’s aggressive forward pressure troubled Hemetsberger throughout their first meeting, the Austrian forced to deal with constant attacks that tested her defensive positioning. But the Filipino-American’s urgency to land big shots sacrificed the measured approach that could have controlled rounds more effectively.
“If I were to do something different from that fight, I would be more patient,” Buntan admitted. “I think it showed in my aggressiveness and forward pressure that it was clearly getting through and giving her a problem. But there were many times I was impatient and just trying to score big shots.”
The kickboxing rule set fundamentally changes the rhythm and spacing that defined their Muay Thai battle. For Buntan, those changes play directly into her strengths while exposing holes she’s identified in Hemetsberger’s game. The faster pace rewards technical precision over clinch dominance, favoring movement and combination striking that the Boxing Works product has perfected throughout her championship journey.
“Stella’s strengths are definitely her kicks,” Buntan explained. “I knew she was going to come in with a lot of kicks, and I definitely felt that. I think when we last fought, that was the deciding factor in terms of how she was able to win. I think she has holes. I see the holes she leaves open as she strikes, both punching and kicking.”
Those defensive vulnerabilities matter more under kickboxing rules where Buntan can capitalize through sharper boxing combinations and superior footwork. The Filipino-American believes her movement advantages — cutting angles, circling effectively, controlling distance — create problems Hemetsberger hasn’t solved. If the Austrian wants to stand and trade, Buntan sees a dangerous game that favors her technical precision.
The champion enters this rematch battle-tested beyond what most fighters her age have experienced. After winning her first three promotional bouts, she earned her first World Title opportunity and came up short. Rather than crumbling, Buntan reeled off four straight victories including the historic triumph over Meksen that delivered kickboxing gold. Setbacks became fuel rather than excuses, losses transformed into lessons that sharpened her championship mentality.
Defending that kickboxing throne against the woman who defeated her in Muay Thai five months ago carries enormous legacy implications. Victory proves the September loss was rule-set specific, that Buntan remains the superior technical striker when kickboxing fundamentals determine outcomes. Defeat raises uncomfortable questions about whether Hemetsberger simply owns her number regardless of discipline.
“I do see myself breaking her down from round one, having her question her ability, her game plan, her strategy, and just controlling it from there,” Buntan said. “I know how to beat her. I wasn’t able to execute it quite well the last time. It’s not based off emotions. It’s just knowing I’m better than that, and it’s time to show it.”
“Winning this fight means everything for my legacy,” Buntan said.
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