ONE Championship returns to motion on Friday evening, but it surely received’t be within the venue the place this week’s ONE 169 card was initially slated to be held. When ONE 169 was first introduced, the promotion had booked the cardboard for State Farm Enviornment in Atlanta, GA.
Early final month, nonetheless, it was introduced that the occasion would now not originate from the house enviornment of the NBA‘s Atlanta Hawks, as an alternative being shifted to Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand. Any ticket holders who bought passes to the since-relocated card by means of Ticketmaster have been refunded.
Subsequent to the transfer to Bangkok, ONE’s 2025 schedule of occasions was introduced, together with two playing cards happening inside the USA, one on Might 23 and one on Dec. 5. So far as the cardboard itself for this week is worried, dwell protection of ONE 169 will start Friday evening at 8 pm ET/ 5 pm PT on Amazon Prime Video inside the USA and Canada.
For those who’re planning on watching the present from the UK and Eire, Sky Sports activities will carry ONE 169 dwell Saturday morning (UK time) at 1 am. All advised, the ultimate model of this occasion (barring any postponed or canceled fights) options 11 contests from throughout the combative disciplines, together with MMA, Muay Thai and kickboxing.
Buntan and Meksen Combat to Turn into First Ladies’s Strawweight Kickboxing Champion To Start Title Combat Tripleheader
Three title fights will happen on the high of the invoice, together with a history-making contest in kickboxing to start the tripleheader. Initially booked to happen in July throughout ONE on Prime Video 23, Jackie Buntan (6-1 kickboxing, 6-1 ONE) and Anissa Meksen (103-6 kickboxing, 3-1 ONE Championship) sq. off Friday evening throughout ONE 169. Buntan withdrew from the preliminary date resulting from damage.
At stake: The Inaugural ONE Ladies’s Strawweight Kickboxing Championship. Like all kickboxing title fights, this one is an marketed most of 5 rounds at three minutes per spherical.
Jackie Buntan makes it look straightforward 😎💥 Will the American star declare the inaugural ONE Ladies’s Strawweight Kickboxing World Championship in opposition to Anissa Meksen? 👑#ONE169 | Nov 8 at 8PM ET🇺🇸🇨🇦 Watch Dwell on Prime🇬🇧🇮🇪 Watch Dwell on Sky Sports activities pic.twitter.com/anU6DgFOTi
— ONE Championship (@ONEChampionship) October 20, 2024
The three-knockdown rule is in impact for this contest. Ought to a fighter knock her opponent down thrice in a spherical or 4 occasions over the course of a match, that contestant wins by TKO.
Fighter Comparability
Heading into this title combat on Friday evening, Anissa Meksen stands because the taller competitor at 5-foot-6, in comparison with the 5-foot-4 body of Jackie Buntan. Buntan owns a 2.6-inch attain benefit (68 inches even to 65.4 inches) over Meksen.
At the moment, the oddsmakers don’t have cash traces accessible for this specific combat. For those who plan on betting on this or every other combat taking place this week in fight sports activities, please wager responsibly.
Buntan Seeks to Carry Belt to America
Jackie Buntan enters ONE 169 on Friday having posted a report of 4-1 in her final 5 fights. At the moment, she’s on a three-fight profitable streak courting again to Dec. 2, 2022.
Most not too long ago, she scored a unanimous choice victory after three rounds over Martine Michieletto (50-14-5 kickboxing, 1-1 ONE Championship) throughout ONE on Prime Video 20 on March 9. All of Buntan’s fights since becoming a member of ONE Championship’s lively roster in February of 2021 have been beneath Muay Thai guidelines, nonetheless.
Just lately, she talked to beyondkick.com about her upcoming kickboxing title bid.
“Ever since I used to be signed to the corporate, I’ve been pushing to compete in kickboxing, as nicely,” Buntan mentioned. “After my final combat in opposition to Martine Michieletto, I personally messaged [ONE] and mentioned, ‘Hey, I desire a kickboxing combat, I desire a kickboxing combat.’ Having it go straight right into a title [fight] wasn’t stunning for me.”
Whereas this combat received’t be a “residence recreation” for Buntan like initially deliberate, she will be able to nonetheless make sure that the title has a keep on American soil with a win on Friday evening.
Can Meksen Bounce Again?
Within the different nook, Anissa Meksen has gone 4-1 in her personal proper over the past 5 fights. Most not too long ago, she noticed a four-fight profitable streak courting again to her days in GLORY Kickboxing get snapped resulting from a unanimous choice in opposition to Phetjeeja Lukjaoporongtom (208-6-3 kickboxing, 6-0 ONE Championship) throughout ONE Friday Fights 46 proper earlier than Christmas final 12 months on Dec. 22.
Whereas this can be a combat for the inaugural girls’s strawweight kickboxing championship, that is in no way Meksen’s first rodeo with regards to competing in title fights. Previous to this, she previously held straps in GLORY, ISKA, the WAKO, and a bunch of different promotions and organizations throughout fight sports activities.
She’s been down this street earlier than. What occurs now?
Evaluation, Movie Examine and Prediction
With this being the maiden voyage for the ladies’s strawweight championship, count on each of those contestants to offer every little thing they’ve on Friday evening.
Search for Buntan To Fireplace Combos
Jackie Buntan can disrupt Anissa Meksen’s gameplan on Friday in ONE 169 if she will be able to throw and land combos like she did in opposition to Amber Kitchen in December of 2022. All through the combat, she saved Kitchen guessing by changing on combos, together with one to knock her down in spherical three, although the referee didn’t give an 8-count.
Because the third and ultimate spherical neared its finish, Buntan went upstairs with punches to the pinnacle. Her show was sufficient to internet the victory on the scorecards after the ultimate bell.
So long as she lands combos throughout ONE 169, Buntan will probably be golden.
Meksen Has Fists of Fury
Within the different nook, Anissa Meksen is a vicious striker, as was illustrated in the course of the second spherical of her combat in opposition to Cristina Morales in 2021. Whereas the fighters traded photographs in the course of the interval, Meksen opened up with a barrage of punches to the pinnacle to ship Morales down.
Morales struggled to face again up and couldn’t step ahead to proceed the competition, ensuing within the referee calling the combat off with 33 seconds to go within the spherical. If Anissa Meksen unloads with nasty photographs on Friday evening, this combat will probably be hers.
Closing Ideas
It is a magnificent contest to kick off the championship tripleheader. You should definitely tune in.
Prediction: Jackie Buntan by Unanimous Determination.
