ONE Championship returns to motion on Friday night time, 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 Area 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 a substitute being shifted to Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand. Any ticket holders who bought passes to the since-relocated card by the use 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 america, one on Might 23 and one on Dec. 5. So far as the cardboard itself for this week is anxious, dwell protection of ONE 169 will start Friday night time at 8 pm ET/ 5 pm PT on Amazon Prime Video inside america and Canada.
If you happen to’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 Battle to Grow to be First Girls’s Strawweight Kickboxing Champion To Start Title Battle Tripleheader
Three title fights will happen on the prime 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 night time throughout ONE 169. Buntan withdrew from the preliminary date as a consequence of damage.
At stake: The Inaugural ONE Girls’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 Girls’s Strawweight Kickboxing World Championship towards Anissa Meksen? 👑#ONE169 | Nov 8 at 8PM ET🇺🇸🇨🇦 Watch Reside on Prime🇬🇧🇮🇪 Watch Reside 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 3 times in a spherical or 4 instances over the course of a match, that contestant wins by TKO.
Fighter Comparability
Heading into this title battle on Friday night time, 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.
Presently, the oddsmakers don’t have cash strains obtainable for this explicit battle. If you happen to plan on betting on this or another battle occurring this week in fight sports activities, please wager responsibly.
Buntan Seeks to Convey Belt to America
Jackie Buntan enters ONE 169 on Friday having posted a document of 4-1 in her final 5 fights. Presently, she’s on a three-fight profitable streak courting again to Dec. 2, 2022.
Most just lately, she scored a unanimous resolution 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 underneath Muay Thai guidelines, nonetheless.
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 effectively,” Buntan mentioned. “After my final battle towards Martine Michieletto, I personally messaged [ONE] and mentioned, ‘Hey, I need a kickboxing battle, I need a kickboxing battle.’ Having it go straight right into a title [fight] wasn’t surprising for me.”
Whereas this battle received’t be a “dwelling sport” 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 night time.
Can Meksen Bounce Again?
Within the different nook, Anissa Meksen has gone 4-1 in her personal proper during the last 5 fights. Most just lately, she noticed a four-fight profitable streak courting again to her days in GLORY Kickboxing get snapped as a consequence of a unanimous resolution towards 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 it is a battle for the inaugural ladies’s strawweight kickboxing championship, that is under no circumstances Meksen’s first rodeo relating to competing in title fights. Previous to this, she previously held straps in GLORY, ISKA, the WAKO, and a number 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 thing they’ve on Friday night time.
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 mixtures like she did towards Amber Kitchen in December of 2022. All through the battle, she saved Kitchen guessing by changing on mixtures, together with one to knock her down in spherical three, although the referee didn’t give an 8-count.
Because the third and closing spherical neared its finish, Buntan went upstairs with punches to the pinnacle. Her show was sufficient to web the victory on the scorecards after the ultimate bell.
So long as she lands combos throughout ONE 169, Buntan might 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 battle towards Cristina Morales in 2021. Whereas the fighters traded pictures 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 battle off with 33 seconds to go within the spherical. If Anissa Meksen unloads with nasty pictures on Friday night time, this battle might be hers.
Remaining Ideas
It is a magnificent contest to kick off the championship tripleheader. Make sure to tune in.
Prediction: Jackie Buntan by Unanimous Choice.
