Jessa Khan
Jessa Khan (Khmer: ខាន់ ចេសា, romanized: Khăn Chésa [kʰan ceːsaː]; born 8 October 2001),[1] is a Cambodian-Mexican-American ju-jitsu practitioner.[2] She represented Cambodia at the 2018 Asian Games and claimed a gold medal in the women's 49kg ne-waza event.[3][4] This was also the first gold medal to be received by Cambodia which happened to be unexpected in the sport of ju-jitsu during the 2018 Asian Games.[5] Khan is a second Gold Medal Cambodia's Asian Games history after Taekwondo Gold 2014.[6] She is a daughter of a Mexican American mother with Cambodian American father.[7][8] Her Facebook page says she took up jiu-jitsu at age 12 and shows her decked out with a vast array of her medals.[9] She was born in Texas and resides in Southern California.[10]
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| Nationality | American, Cambodian | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 8 October 2001 Texas, U.S. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 152 cm (5 ft 0 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 49 kg (108 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Sport | Jujutsu | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Event(s) | ne-waza | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Team | Art of Jiu-Jitsu (AOJ) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Her coach was Guilherme Mendes, BRA, from 2012 (Athlete, 28 Aug 2018). She also has her hero who can inspire her more such as; Brazilian ju-jitsu athletes Rafael Mendes, Guilherme Mendes, Luiza Monteiro, and Mikey Musumeci.[11] On October 6, 2020, Khan was awarded her black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu by her coaches, the Mendes brothers, just two days before her nineteenth birthday.[12]
Black belt career
On February 26, 2021, Khan made her debut appearance on Who's Number One, defeating Danielle Kelly by unanimous decision.[13] She competed at Evolve Ur Game on April 3, 2021 in a superfight against Mayssa Bastos, losing on points.[14] She returned to Who's Number One on May 28, 2021, defeating Patricia Fontes with an armbar.[15] This performance earned Khan the invitation to compete for the inaugural WNO women's strawweight title at the WNO Championships.[16] Khan submitted Jessica Crane with a heelhook in the opening round, but was submitted by Grace Gundrum in the semifinal with a twister and was submitted by Amanda 'Tubby' Alequin in the consolation match with a toehold.[17]
In May, 2022 Khan became one of the first grapplers to sign a contract with ONE Championship.[18] The promotion booked a rematch with Alequin for her debut at ONE 159 on July 22, 2022,[19] but the match fell through when Alequin withdrew due to an undisclosed medical issue.
Khan competed in the 2023 Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu European Championship, winning a bronze medal in the women's roosterweight division.[20]
Medals
In 2017
- gold medal of European Championship
- gold medal of PAN American Championship
- gold medal of Las Vegas Open 2X
- gold medal of San Diego Open 2X
- gold medal of World Championship 2X
- gold medal of Long Beach 2X
- gold medal of Los Angeles Grand Slam
- gold medal of No ni World Championship 2X
- gold medal of JIU JUTSU World League 2X
In 2018
- medal of Los Angeles Open 2X
- medal of Tap Out Cancer
- medal of Gracie National
- medal of JIU JUTSU World League 2X
- medal of FIVE Gold
- medal of PAN American Championship 2x
- medal of San Diego Open 2X
- medal of World Championship
- medal of American National Gi & No Gi
- medal of 2018 Asian Games
In 2019
- Purple Belt Champion🥇 at Abu Dhabi World Pro Championship[6]
References
- "Sabay News". news.sabay.com.kh. Retrieved 29 September 2018.
- "Jessa Khan | Asian Games 2018 Jakarta Palembang". Asian Games 2018 Jakarta Palembang. Archived from the original on 26 August 2018. Retrieved 26 August 2018.
- "Breaking: Jessa Khan Wins Asian Games Gold Medal for Cambodia ! – Cambodia Expats Online: Forum | News | Information | Blog". cambodiaexpatsonline.com. Retrieved 26 August 2018.
- "Cambodia claims a Ju-Jitsu gold – Khmer Times". Khmer Times. 25 August 2018. Retrieved 26 August 2018.
- Chap, Chetra. "Cambodia wins first gold medal at 2018 Asian Games". VOA. Retrieved 26 August 2018.
- "News – Olympic Council of Asia". www.ocasia.org. Retrieved 29 September 2018.
- "Jessa Khan: The Jiu-Jitsu Prodigy – Khmer Times". Khmer Times. 14 September 2018. Retrieved 29 September 2018.
- "Jessa Khan bags double gold at jiu-jitsu worlds".
- "Jessa Khan Athlete". www.facebook.com.
- "Asian Games: Gold for Cambodia by Californian born in Texas". The Cambodia Daily. Associated Press. 27 August 2018. Archived from the original on 28 August 2018.
- "KHAN Jessa | Asian Games 2018 Jakarta Palembang". Asian Games 2018 Jakarta Palembang. Archived from the original on 26 August 2018. Retrieved 29 September 2018.
- "Jessa Khan Becomes First Black Belt from AOJ Kid's Program". 7 October 2020.
- "Who's Number One: Craig Jones v Ronaldo Jr Full Results and Review". 27 February 2021.
- "Evolve Ur Game Full Results and Review". 4 April 2021.
- "Who's Number One: Craig Jones v Luiz Panza Full Results and Review". 29 May 2021.
- "WNO Championships Lineup Announced for 115lbs Division". 30 July 2021.
- "WNO Championships Full Results and Review". 27 September 2021.
- "ONE Championship Signs Renato Canuto, Jessa Khan, and Tainan Dalpra". 12 May 2022.
- "Jessa Khan to Face Amanda 'Tubby' Alequin for ONE Championship Debut". 16 June 2022.
- "IBJJF European Championship 2023 Full Results And Review". JitsMagazine. Retrieved 5 February 2023.
