S

y

J
e
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artial artist
and instructor,
actress, model
and Pro MMA Fighter, Sy
tells us about her lifes
journey, her career as a
martial artist and what
its like being a female
proIessIonaI MMA BLLer.
M
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You can contact Sy:
Facebook fan page:
www.facebook.com/LadydragonSJ
Twitter: @Ladydragonmma.
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which lead me into my kicks being higher,
faster and stronger. I got smoother and more
sharper with my techniques and practised
all the time in order to perfect the art I was
taught. Over the years, my skills in martial
arts have developed into something beautiful,
and I have grown into a true martial artist,
yet always learning from others.
I adore all styles, and martial arts is a way of
life for me now and besides Zen karate I have
also trained in Muay Thai, kick-boxing, Jiu
jILsu, WIn cLun and CapoeIra, LLe ErazIIIan
martial art that combines elements of dance
and music. I love Capoeira, its absolutely
beauLIIuI! TLe way you Bow Irom one kIck or
BIp Lo anoLLer wILL sucL conLroI Is amazIn!
I'II be doIn IL Ior IIIe! I Iove Muay TLaI
too, because its hardcore, intense and you
strengthen your whole body up from the
impacts you receive from elbows and knees.
Another one of my favourites is Jiu jitsu
and Im learning more and more each day
and eLLIn more and more conBdenL wILL
my round skIIIs. I Iove IL! And I pIan Lo
learn many other styles of martial art too,
including judo and wushu, a Chinese martial
art. Theres so much to learn in the martial
arts world, and I intend to learn as much as I
can from every art as its truly my way of life.
I am also planning to travel to Thailand and
Japan soon too, to do some serious training
there.
I sLarLed LraInIn In MMA In 2009, under
Kent Brown of Kensei Martial Arts in Red
Deer. WLen I BrsL sLarLed MMA, IL was a IoL
different than what I was doing in martial
arts. In karate we were taught control; I was
used to coming close to kicking people but not
acLuaIIy oIn IuII conLacL, so Irom 20 years
of traditional martial arts into MMA took
quILe a bIL oI LIme Lo adjusL! EuL wILL LIme, I
learnt and it was something I had wanted to
do Ior years and BnaIIy Look LLaL sLep. KenL
and the crew taught me a lot about myself as
a BLLer and LauLL me Lo be IearIess. TLey
would push me to get hard on myself and
would motivate me like no other and I owe
them a lot for helping me develop into the
BLLer I am Loday!
My BrsL BLL was JuIy 9LL, 2010 Ior AMMA
in Edmonton, Alberta against Kellie Cardinal.
I won in just 1:36 seconds of the 1st round
by TK0 [LecLnIcaI knock ouL]. AILer my BrsL
BLL I receIved a IoL oI amazIn words Irom
my new fans, and got to meet Bas Rutten,
who is a legend in MMA.
[Editors note:
BebasLIaan "Eas" FuLLen Is a reLIred DuLcL mIxed
martial artist, karate and Taekwondo blackbelt and
kickboxer. He was a UFC Heavyweight Champion, a three
time King of Pancrase world champion, and finished his
career on a 22 fight unbeaten streak]
It changed my whole life. I then fought on Sept
10LL, 2010 In EdmonLon, AIberLa aaInsL
FacLaeI BwaLez. I won by spIIL decIsIon.
However, on May 1SLL, 2018 I IouLL Ior AEC
in Calgary, Alberta against Charmaine Tweet.
I lost by rear naked choke in Round One. You
learn from a loss; everyone losses once in
awhile but you get right back up and learn
Irom your mIsLakes and keep BLLIn.
I have certainly had my ups and downs in
the sport, and the last few years have been
good and bad and at times struggled just
Lo survIve. EuL In 2012 I sLarLed my own
personal training methods in my home gym,
wLere I LeacL marLIaI arLs, BLness and MMA.
Ive always wanted to open my own gym and
to help people, as thats who I am, and I love
LraInIn peopIe Low Lo BLL and keep BL. Bo
Im doing what I love at my own home where
its fully equipped for anyone who wants to
learn.
AsIde Irom my marLIaI arLs, I BrsL sLarLed
modelling now and then for Arrissa Hair
BLudIos In 2009, doIn a Iew sLows, and LLen
modelled for Divas Hair Salon a few times
In 2010 and 2011. I Lave aIso sLarLed doIn
portfolio work with local photographer and
agent Troy Young, not sexy pictures but
tattoo, MMA and tough pictures. But I wont
be doing any half-naked shots, because Im a
bad-ass chick that likes the bad-ass pictures
raLLer LLan sLowIn skIn! AIso, under my
aenL Troy, I Ianded my BrsL acLIn job In
2011 doIn a commercIaI Ior Eas 0as, a as
station chain with over two hundred locations
across Western Canada. It was nothing
special but for me it was about experience
and developing my acting skills. My heart
Is acLIon and marLIaI arL BIms LLouL, and I
am now working with Mike Richard, Director
and Producer at DarkFlame Studios, and am
currenLIy workIn on BIms wILL LIm. Eor now,
LLe besL LLIn abouL doIn IndependenL BIms
is the experience, which helps me prepare
for bigger roles in the future. For me there is
noLLIn bad abouL acLIn, I enjoy LLe BLLIn
scenes because I am doing what I love and
being in character is quite fun too, I learn lots
from each role I play.
The best thing about my career are the people
I train with; I have a great team and Im very
proud to be working with each and every one.
AnoLLer bonus are LLe amazIn Ians I Lave!
They inspire me every single day to keep
going and to work harder, because really,
without the fans, this sport wouldnt be as
big as it is. There isnt anything bad about
my career, because its all Ive ever wanted
to do; I train a lot per day, I work my ass off
and manage between training my clients,
myself and my MMA classes. I have found a
balance that works for me and I enjoy staying
busy and active.
My future plans are to travel to lots different
countries and train with the best of the best.
I'd Iove Lo BLL Ior InvIcLa someday [Editors
note: Invicta Fighting Championships, also known as
InvIcLa EC, Is an AmerIcan MMA oranIzaLIon Iocused on
IemaIe IILLers. IL was Iounded In 2012 by JaneL MarLIn
and former King of the Cage, World Fighting Alliance,
International Fight League, Affliction Entertainment,
UFC and Strikeforce executive Shannon Knapp], as
well as get myself in the Ultimate Fighting
Championship. It will take hard work and
dedication but Im on my way. My goals are
just to simply keep training hard and one
day break into the big screen for martial arts
movIes as LLe nexL IeadIn Iady!
WaLcL LLIs space!
was born in Fredericton, the capital of
the Canadian province of New Brunswick,
but for the most part grew up in Red Deer,
Alberta. Living in Red Deer was good, and
I was there a long time, but I have recently
moved to nearby Edmonton, Alberta. I had
a good childhood with my family; we always
did fun things together and I was always
wrestling my dad and trying to piss my
sister off. We had a tough childhood though;
we never had fancy things or big, rich houses,
and my father worked two jobs and worked
very late most evenings just to support us all.
But we stuck through it as a family. I had a
big group of friends and, as I grew up, began
to rebel from school and get in with the wrong
crowds. I was getting into lots of trouble every
day, stealing, getting involved with drugs
and drinking. I suppose Ive always been a
rebel at heart so I enjoyed doing things that
hyped me up.
I BrsL sLarLed LraInIn aL ae eILL. My parenLs
enrolled me in a martial arts class because I
was a tomboy; always protecting people and
full of energy. I started in Zen karate and
loved it, and even though I was off the rails
a bit as a teenager, I received my black belt
aL ae 18 and my BrsL Dan aL ae 16. I aIso
became an assistant karate instructor until
I was 17. BeeIn peopIe on TV, or In movIes
got me pumped and motivated, and I wanted
Lo do wLaL LLey dId! IL's a beauLIIuI LLIn.
My mentors at the time were Chuck Norris,
Cynthia Rothrock, Bruce Lee and Steven
Seagal. I started watching them all at a very
young age, and Cynthia Rothrock was my
IdoI, wLom I Iooked up Lo... and sLIII do!
Over the years I gained more and more
conBdence and, because I was seeIn my skIIIs
emerge more and more, my dedication to the
sporL rew. I worked a IoL on my BexIbIIILy
I
Sy Jewett Sy Jewett
10 tough talk magazine BprIn 2018 BprIn 2018 tough talk magazine 11