Fil-Am kickboxing star Jackie Buntan came extremely close to winning her second ONE world championship at ONE Fight Night 35: Buntan vs. Hemetsberger on Prime Video this past Saturday, September 6.
Hemetsberger’s Knockdowns and Reach Advantage Prove Decisive
Buntan got off to a blistering start, but Hemetsberger’s impressive fight IQ led to her dropping the 28-year-old twice in the first round. First, with a short right hand after evading a kick, and a second similar sequence happened just before the bell rang.
To her credit, she rallied back in the middle rounds, but Hemetsberger’s three-inch reach advantage had taken a toll on Buntan in the fourth and fifth rounds.
Judges awarded the women’s 125-pound crown to “Always Hungry”, with all three judges scoring the fight at a razor-thin 47-46.
Upon seeing the scorecards, it’s immediately evident that Hemetsberger’s pair of knockdowns to close out the first round proved to be an insurmountable deficit for the reigning ONE women’s strawweight kickboxing world champion.
Another problem that Buntan faced against the Austria-born Hemetsberger was her near-flawless use of her reach advantage. Buntan struggled to string together meaningful combos WITHOUT being tagged hard in response.
All in all, the Boxing Works star put together a hearty effort, but she ultimately just came short.
Look for Jackie Buntan to lick her wounds and return with a vengeance to the ONE Circle – be it under Muay Thai or kickboxing rules.
