Jessa Khan On Overcoming Adversity To Win Her First Black Belt World Title
The AOJ light-featherweight won her first World Championship gold medal in dramatic fashion.
Coming up through the colored belt ranks, Jessa Khan was one of the most successful competitors out of the Art of Jiu Jitsu kids program. Jessa won titles at the Worlds, Pans, and Europeans before being awarded her black belt in 2020. Expectations were high for Jessa’s black belt career, and although she did win a Pan title in 2022, she had several setbacks at major championships. As the #3 seed in the light-featherweight division heading into the 2023 World Championships, Jessa would need four victories to take home gold. She scored submissions in her quarter and semifinal matches and met Thamires Aquino of GF Team in the final. It was one of the most exciting finals of the event as Jessa scored two points off a back take attempt in the dying seconds of the match. The following is a Q&A with 2023 World Champion Jessa Khan.
Can you talk about some of the ups and downs and/or challenges you’ve faced and overcome in your black belt career? Did winning Worlds after some setbacks make it sweeter?
I have faced many ups and downs in my black belt career. It was really hard coming into the black belt division thinking I would win everything my first year based off of winning throughout the colored belts and because I knew I had the ability to. Then, I was barely making it to the second round in all the majors and getting third. Finally, I started having some success. I won some opens and finally won my first major title at black belt, which was Pan Ams in 2022. It was just a lot of ups and downs. After a while I started questioning if I should continue competing or not. I started to not enjoy training and me always losing didn’t help. I was on the verge of changing careers, but I knew deep down I would regret it if I did not try my very best to achieve that goal. I felt really guilty about having those thoughts, but it’s normal to have self doubt and feel like that. I am just really happy I didn’t stop. It just shows you how much can change in a year.
You had some great submissions over amazing opponents heading into the finals. Did you change anything about your mindset or your game coming into the Worlds that helped you earn those wins?
There was nothing major that I changed. I always knew submissions were a big part of my game. This is just something I wanted to chase after more this competition. One thing that I did very well this competition was actually fighting like a black belt. Knowing when to score, pacing yourself throughout the match, understanding how much time you have left in the match, and doing things to guarantee the win. Just overall, I’m happy with my performance.
The final was very close, with the back attack at the end sealing the victory. What was going through your head leading into and during that sequence?
Hearing the crowd is what got me through to continue giving my best until the last second. It was a scary situation being tied up. I was just trying my best to make something happen to at least score an advantage. We were also in a tough position, 50/50. I know there has been a lot of controversy about it and it being a stalling position. I didn’t want to be seen doing that. That’s when I was able to start using it to create a back attack.
What advice do you have for aspiring World Champions who are facing some adversity in their careers?
Something I would tell aspiring World Champions is that there are going to be times where you have self doubt and it’s normal to feel like that. I’m telling you, just keep going. One of these days it will be worth it and you are going to be so happy that you didn’t give up or stop. I honestly believe everyone will have their time. It’s just a matter of when it will happen.
Can you talk about the importance of AOJ and Gui Mendes in your career?
Art of Jiu Jitsu and Professor Gui have been a huge help in my career from orange belt to black belt. AOJ has been so helpful. They have provided me with the right resources that are needed to become a World Champion and make income with jiu-jitsu. Professor Gui has experienced everything that we are experiencing now and is very successful. How could I not listen? He gives his best everyday to help us and do what’s best for the team. He is like a father figure to me. That’s part of why there were so many emotions going on when I won. I am really happy that I was able to win under his guidance and make him proud. First female black belt World Champion at AOJ! Thank you IBJJF!
You can watch all of Jessa’s matches from the 2023 World Championships exclusively on FloGrappling.