ONE Championship: strawweight world champ Hemetsberger ‘sure’ Buntan rematch will happen
Newly crowned Muay Thai champion says she is living the dream after defeating Buntan to become Austria’s first ONE world title holder.
Stella Hemetsberger was still walking on clouds after her surprise victory over Jackie Buntan at ONE Fight Night 35 in Bangkok, a result that made her Austria’s first ONE Championship world champion.
The 26-year-old captured the vacant strawweight Muay Thai world title last Saturday with a unanimous decision against the division’s reigning kickboxing queen. It was a gruelling five-round contest that saw Hemetsberger drop Buntan twice in the opening frame before holding off the Filipino-American’s relentless pressure to secure the biggest triumph of her career.
“It still hasn’t sunk in 100 per cent,” Hemetsberger told the Post. “It feels amazing. This was my first time fighting five rounds and probably the biggest test of my career so far in terms of opponent and skill level. I’m happy with how I performed.”
The opening round proved pivotal. After being caught early and suffering a broken nose, Hemetsberger responded with heavy counter punches that floored Buntan.
From there, she managed the distance and tempo to maintain her lead on the scorecards.
“I just told myself I had to get in there and put on my game,” she said. “There was no time for feeling out. I wanted to stay composed, fight smart and show my skills. Of course, a knockout would have been great, but proving I can go toe-to-toe with the best over five rounds was also important.”