Felicia Oh is a legend of jiu-jitsu, the sixth woman outside of Brazil to earn a black belt — but her origin story in the art involves the Y2K scare, the LA Marathon and Rudy Fischmann. The masters world champion and ADCC silver medalist talks to us about what training with Jean-Jacques Machado and Eddie Bravo was like, and how 10th Planet came about; about starting at 33 years old and becoming an elite grappler, competing against all-time-greats like Leticia Ribeiro, Megumi Fujii and more; nearly having to walk away from jiu-jitsu and MMA due to chronic fatigue, and how she beat the illness and came back; and way, way more. Thanks to Felicia Oh for this interview!

US Grappling comes to Frederick, Maryland this weekend, June 29! Support the tournament that’s by grapplers, for grapplers, and has the best competitor experience around. Remember, black belts compete for free — and register early for the Richmond, Virginia event on Aug. 3! Tell them we sent you.