Jessa Khan targeted for ONE Championship debut against Amanda Alequin at ONE 159

Sources told Grappling Insider that Jessa Khan and Amanda ‘Tubby’ Alequin will make their grappling debuts at ONE 159 on July 22.

Cambodian-American grappler Jessa Khan is a 2022 Pan IBJJF champion with a jiu-jitsu black belt under legendary jiu-jitsu coach, Guilherme Mendes.

She’s fought under the banners of Flo Grappling, Who’s #1, Abu Dhabi Grand Slam World Tour, and EUG. The 20 year-old has made strides within the grappling scene with notable wins against Jessica Crane and Patricia Fontes. She also went the distance and won by a decision against ONE Championship’s Danielle Kelly at Who’s #1 in 2021.

Her opponent, Amanda ‘Tubby' ' Alequin also holds an impressive resume. She is a 2016 IBJJF no-gi world champion and a 2019 no-gi Pans Champion with an incredible list of competitive finishes. Hailing from Brooklyn, New York, the jiu-jitsu blackbelt has major wins against Patricia Fontes, Alex My Nguyen, Gabrielle McComb, and Nathalie Ribeiro.

Khan and Alequin have crossed paths before at the 2021 FloGrappling WNO Championship tournament in Texas. “Tubby” captured an electrifying win via a toe hold in less than 42 seconds, setting the WNO record for the fastest submission.

Both grapplers are returning to the mat coming off a loss which will make for a thrilling 10-minute grappling bout as both will look to secure a debut win in one of the largest martial arts promotions in the world.

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Jessa Khan expresses her excitment after signing a ONE Championship contract

20-year-old Jessa Khan took to her Instagram to express her excitement after securing a contract under the ONE Championship banner.

She said:

"super excited to announce I signed with @onechampionship !! Looking forward to doing more nogi and working with them 💪🏽 thank you @yodchatri for the opportunity!"

Check out the Instagram post below:

Grappling fans and jiu-jitsu students from her gym showered their "professor" with complimentary words of encouragement and support.

Chatri Sityodtong also welcomed the Cambodian-American talent and said:

"Welcome to the world’s largest stage of martial arts, Jessa! 🔥🔥🔥"

The Thai entrepreneur has become a sort of unofficial godfather for young MMA prodigies. He has inked a few more deals this year to build an elite roster of grapplers, including Danielle Kelly, the Ruotolo brothers, Renato Canuto, and Tainan Dalpra.