The pair will throw down at ONE 169: Malykhin vs. Reug Reug on Saturday, November 9, at Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, for the right to be the first to wear the illustrious crown.
They were first set to collide this past July at ONE Fight Night 23 until Buntan was forced to withdraw from the bout due to injury.
With that setback behind her, the Filipino-American will undoubtedly be looking to make up for lost time by claiming her first world title in ONE Championship next month.
She enters the high-stakes clash in great form, holding a 6-1 record in the strawweight realm world’s largest martial arts organisation. Her only setback came against Smilla Sundell when they clashed for the vacant women’s strawweight Muay Thai crown at ONE 156 in April 2022.
Since then, Buntan has amassed three wins in a row, against Amber Kitchen at ONE on Prime Video 5 in December 2022, Diandra Martin in May 2023 at ONE Fight Night 10, and Martine Michieletto at ONE Fight Night 20, to earn a second shot at gold.
However, she will have her work cut out against Meksen, who has long established herself as one of the best female strikers in the world.
The French-Algerian powerhouse has claimed a slew of accolades in her career, and adding a ONE world title will go far in further cementing her legacy.
Meksen arrived in ONE Championship in 2021 and went on a 3-0 run in the world’s largest martial arts organization, amassing wins against Cristina Morales at ONE: EMPOWER in September 2021, Marie Ruumet at ONE 156 in April 2022, and Dangkongfah Banchamek at ONE on Prime Video 2 in October 2022.
That streak came to an end when she clashed with “The Queen” Phetjeeja for the ONE interim women’s atomweight crown in her latest bout at ONE Friday Fights 46 last December.
As a result, “C18” will likely have all her sharpest weapons on show when she gets her second chance at a ONE World Title at ONE 169. But Buntan will be just as hungry, so fans would be wise not to blink when their matchup kicks off.
