Jessa Khan

Jessa Khan became the first female black belt from Art of Jiu-Jitsu (AOJ) to win Worlds. The title came in 2023, on her third try, with two submissions along the way and a back take in the final seconds of the final against Thamires Aquino, won 8-6.

Born in Corpus Christi, Texas, on October 8, 2001, she competes for Cambodia, her father’s home country. She started karate at 6 and found Jiu-Jitsu in January 2010, in Hawaii. She trained at gyms in New Hampshire and Virginia before arriving at AOJ, where Guilherme Mendes promoted her from blue belt to black.

Representing Cambodia, she won ne-waza gold at the 2018 Asian Games and at the Southeast Asian Games. At AOJ she piled up titles at the colored belts: juvenile world champion in her weight class and the open class in 2017 and 2018, and purple belt world champion in 2019.

She got her black belt on October 6, 2020, two days before turning 19. She took bronze at the 2021 Worlds and won the 2022 Pans, beating Thamires in the final. At Worlds that year she lost to that same opponent, 9-0, in the quarterfinals.

At the 2023 Worlds she submitted Adele Fornarino and Rose El Sharouni with armbars before the final. “Hearing the crowd is what got me through to continue giving my best until the last second,” she told the IBJJF after the title. That same year she fought Danielle Kelly for a ONE Championship belt, losing by decision, and took silver at No-Gi Worlds.

In the most recent IBJJF results she is registered as Jessamine Kaina. In 2026 she won the Honolulu Open at lightweight.