‘I Don’t Think It’s Ever Going To Go Away’ – Jackie Buntan Grieves Her Father’s Untimely Passing

A father is his daughter’s first love, her first hero, but he’s never expected to be her first loss. Tragically, this is what Jackie Buntan faced in December 2024 when her father Jessie passed away at the age of 64 following a two-year battle with colon cancer.

Although the wound in her heart still stings silently, the pride of Boxing Works has plenty to remember about her father as she chases two-sport glory at ONE Fight Night 35 on Prime Video. There, she faces Stella Hemetsberger in the main event for the vacant ONE Women’s Strawweight Muay Thai World Title.

Usually the one in front of cameras, Buntan used her own lens while growing up to document the quirky relationship she had with her father.

The current ONE Women’s Strawweight Kickboxing World Champion said ahead of her battle in Bangkok, Thailand’s Lumpinee Stadium on September 5:

“I am fortunate enough to have so many photos and videos of my dad. I admit, I would troll him a lot. I am a goofy person. So a lot of [these photos and videos] come from this goofy side of me that we shared.

“All these memories I have of him are of us laughing, and they’re good memories.”

Sharing To Heal And To Help

Take one look at Buntan’s social media posts and you’ll find a life defined by fighting and fashion. Rarely does the 28-year-old stray from those paths when sharing glimpses of herself online.

When Buntan lost her father, she decided to get vulnerable. The Filipina-American shared a story about it on Instagram not only to begin her own healing process, but to help others through theirs.

She said:

“At that time, it was important for me. My father was dealing with that cancer battle for pretty much two years. Close people around me knew. There’s certain parts of my life I don’t share. We all do private stuff, but so many people have experienced [losing a loved one].

“It was important to share it, so other people who’ve had similar journeys or are experiencing it know that they’re not alone. Anybody in any walk of life can experience this, unfortunately. I know there are fans, people who follow me, who have that same experience that I had.”

Winning Over Her Father

Before joining ONE, Buntan stormed through the American Muay Thai circuit, building a winning record and reputation that earned her the respect of the national community.

She dreamed of following her teammate and now-retired former two-sport ONE World Champion Janet Todd onto the global stage.

Even then, her father – a traditional Filipino who according to Buntan was still “straight off the boat” – found it hard to understand why she would choose this path. That all changed when Buntan joined ONE in 2021 and began getting recognized in Jessie’s homeland of the Philippines.

In her debut, she took on surging Thai star Nat “Wondergirl” Jaroonsak. Heading into the bout, “Wondergirl” was on a two-fight knockout streak and was primed to become the next big thing in the promotion.

Buntan came along and shattered Jaroonsak’s orbital and dreams and, at the same time, her father’s misconceptions about how far she could take her fighting career.

The Filipina-American said:

“I fought ‘Wondergirl,’ and that was blowing up everywhere, especially on ABS-CBN, which is a big news channel out in the Philippines.

“For me, it was like, ‘Oh my God, this is big. I’m in ONE.’ But for him, he’s like, ‘Oh, my God, I saw you on ABS-CBN, this news channel in the Philippines.’

“That’s when he realized: She’s a star. She’s big if she’s important enough to be on ABS-CBN.”

Earning Her Father’s Acceptance

Despite her early success in ONE and making headlines across the world, Buntan still couldn’t get her father to watch her compete. She had to ask one of her three older sisters to report the outcome of her fights back to Jessie.

It’s not that he didn’t support her. He just couldn’t fathom the idea of his daughter being hurt or injured. But she kept competing, kept winning.

In 2021 alone she scored three consecutive victories in ONE. That was when her father was able to exhale and enjoy watching his youngest child thrive.

Buntan said:

“We’re Filipino. The biggest love language is food. He’d always make sure I was eating. If I visited him, he tried to feed me food. I know those were big things for him, that he was watching out and that he cared for me.

“But apparently, as I progressed in my career, the more he sat back and relaxed. In his head, he’s like, ‘Okay, she’s pretty good, she keeps winning, and maybe I don’t have to be so worried.’”

Balancing Fame With Her Father’s Pride

No matter how many times Buntan won, she was still the baby of the family — a fact that could never be changed. With that came a father’s sense of pride and, sometimes, over-protection.

Buntan experienced it after defeating Daniela Lopez in September 2021. Her dad was scrolling through YouTube videos and came across a story in Tagalog about his daughter. Some fans in the comments section criticized Buntan for representing the American flag instead of the Filipino flag.

What followed was an interaction that any millennial in the global spotlight might have with their proud father.

Buntan remembered:

“My dad actually commented back to these people on YouTube. I’m like, ‘What are you doing?’ He’s like, ‘I’m trying to explain that you were born in America, so that’s why you represent the U.S.’ I’m like, ‘Yeah, but you don’t have to start commenting back to the trolls and fight those online battles.’

“But with that stuff, you’re never gonna win, you know? Luckily, he stopped after that, but he felt a sense of pride and a feeling of trying to protect me from these people who have no idea about me.”

Learning To Live With Loss

At times, life is more merciless than fighting could ever be. It gives us the chance to build relationships with people, but at the same time life can take those people away in an instant.

When it happens to be a parent that life takes away, that loss leaves a void that many spend their lives trying to fill.

Luckily for Buntan, she has a support system at home and at the gym, where she has been mentored by another father figure — Bryan Popejoy — for as long as she’s been competing. But the pain of losing her father still lingers, still creeps in when least expected.

“Grief is – the best way I can explain it – is it’s a trip. It’s ongoing and it comes in different waves. It comes in different emotions and, again, I don’t think it’s ever going to go away. It comes up randomly at the weirdest times.”

Time — it’s exactly what Buntan needs to heal from her father’s loss. And she may be right. Perhaps the pain never does go away.

But there’s something else that will never go away as well. That’s the memories she built with her father while he was still here, the memories not only saved in photo or video form, but those etched into her mind and into her heart.

“It hurts to look back at the photos, but I’m grateful that I took them because it reminds me of the good times I had with him, and I’m fortunate enough to have that documented.

“That’s how you want to remember your parent, or whoever you lost.”

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