Hemetsberger Rules Out Buntan Trilogy After Knockout Win

Stella Hemetsberger has no immediate plans for a trilogy bout with Jackie Buntan despite sitting on a 2-0 record over the former kickboxing champion.

The Austrian retained her ONE Women's Strawweight Muay Thai World Title with a third-round knockout of Natalia Diachkova at ONE Fight Night 46 in Bangkok on August 14, according to BJPenn.com. The finish earned her a $50,000 performance bonus and pushed her ONE Championship record to 6-0 across both Muay Thai and kickboxing.

Hemetsberger On Moving Past The Buntan Rivalry

Hemetsberger beat Buntan twice on her way to capturing titles in both striking disciplines. A third meeting seemed inevitable given the history, but the champion now says she wants fresh opposition. "Honestly, after 2-0, I guess we do have a dominant direction in that matter of that rivalry," she said, per the report. "Jackie is a good fighter, I guess she's gonna fight again in ONE, and we'll see about that. Maybe in the future at some point, but right now after the 2 and 0, maybe some other opponent next."

The two-sport titleholder also shot down any near-term move to mixed martial arts despite comparisons to Stamp Fairtex's historic three-division run. "MMA is not on the plan right now," Hemetsberger said. "I like to focus on the two disciplines I'm doing already. Never say never, but right now it's not on the plan."

Hemetsberger says she will choose between her two existing divisions for her next outing, leaving both the Buntan trilogy and any cross-discipline ambitions on hold.

Reported via:

• BJPenn — Stella Hemetsberger’s next move could skip a trilogy everyone expected