“My next fight after this one is going to be boxing then we’re going to try to alternate for a while.”
Everybody’s favorite fighting Aussie still has some goals to check off her combat sports bucket list.
Jessica-Rose Clark, better known as “Jessy Jess,” has reignited her love for the fight game in the form of a Muay Thai career. The former UFC bantamweight contender saw her run with the promotion end in mid-2023, allowing her the freedom to leave MMA.
Unfortunately for Jessy Jess, she had to go through several opponent fallouts before (and after) landing her professional Muay Thai debut. Ultimately, she wound up in the ring this past October and scored a second-round TKO victory. The 36-year-old veteran foresees three or four more years of competing left to achieve some final milestones.
“I’m still trying to make some money,” Clark told MMA Mania with a laugh. “I would like before I retire — coach Kirian [Fitzgibbons] believes this is a possibility, I believe it’s a possibility — I would like to win a Muay Thai world title. I would like to retire as a world champion in something I’ve dedicated my time to, and I do want to go make some money in boxing. My next fight after this one is going to be boxing then we’re going to try to alternate for a while. Just see where I have a few opportunities. I have a few in boxing that would be really, really cool. Win this one this weekend then more and more doors are gonna open up.”
It’s not surprising to see Jessy Jess flourish and enjoy the striking arts more than the overall elements provided in MMA. The Cairns, Australia native suffered three straight submission losses to close out her UFC and MMA career (11-9, 1 NC), reminding her how she always fancied herself as more of a striker. She did start with kickboxing, after all.
Jessy Jess returns to action as part of Gilbert Melendez and Scott Cokers’ new promotion, Fight Night at the Tech. She’ll take on Patti Lee in a 135-pound clash this weekend (Sat., May 18, 2024). Recently promoting the event at a local Dave & Buster’s during Canelo vs. Munguia, Jessy Jess was hit with the realization of how great her current position is.
“It’s almost surreal,” Clark said. “I was just talking to Kirian about how over the course of — I’ve been training since I was 21, right? So, that’s my entire adult life has been in combat sports. Over the duration of that time, I’d set a few goals and I’ve hit all of them. I wanted to be in the UFC before I was 30. I got into the UFC literally 10 days before I turned 30. I fought MMA in Japan in a ring. That was one of my goals. I was ranked Top 10 in the world at flyweight. That was one of my goals. I’ve fought all over the world. I got to go to Russia, I got to go to Korea, I got to go to Singapore, all these new places. I got to go to California.
“I’ve experienced so many really, really amazing things because of this. But to have the chance to now fight for someone who was one of the first people to give women a platform in mixed martial arts — like literally the decisions that Scott Coker made 15 years ago with Strikeforce are the reason that I’m able to do what I do right now. They’re the reason that I have the life that I have right now.”
Jessy Jess has truly seen every type of environment in combat sports, whether she got paid to be there or not. Going anywhere after the bright lights and grand stages of the UFC was going to feel noticeably different, especially outside of MMA. Luckily for Clark, the timing appears to be aligning perfectly with this juncture in life.
“I could have gone and done Muay Thai at any number of small Muay Thai shows here but instead I get to go do this new combat sport that I love more than I loved MMA being promoted by someone who loves combat sports,” Clark said.
“It makes me feel like I’m not taking a step backward.”