The English Teaching (slash) MMA Girl...
I spent a brief time over at Busan Team MAD MMA training facility where Kim Dong Hyun from the UFC trains. It's arguably the premier MMA team in South Korea and I plan on going back in the new year. While there I met an EPIK English teacher also from the states. A fantastic girl named Jade Marie Anderson (her Sherdog profile).
Jade Marie Anderson - Busan Team MAD |
It was funny to see her on the mats where there is nothing but Korean men getting their fight on. Jade has long, very blond hair. It lights up the room just like her personality. A former wrestling champion and gymnast back home, she is a physical force to be reckon with.
In the limelight |
It's ok if you don't take that last statement seriously because you haven't actually practiced with her. But I have. At 6'3" and 20+ years of judo experience and cross-training in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, I quickly learned that I needed to bring all my assets to the table when grappling with her. Still don't believe me? Wrestle me first, then re-read this! Don't let the sweet all-American girl thing fool you - she will break your neck!
All that aside, Jade recently fought in her first professional MMA match in Tokyo, Japan. Jade trains nearly every day in MMA and supplements it with a Cross Fit routine. Her first fight was against a Japanese veteran of the game with over 40 fights. Jade won the match by unanimous decision which was no surprise.
Be prepared to see more of her. She has the requisites and the right team training her to become a top competitor some day, if not champ. Jade is an outstanding athlete with a golden personality to match her hair. It's great to see next generation martial artists as they rise, and to be close enough to watch them in the process. All the best to Jade!
Oss.
(Special thanks to John "the Sandman" Torres for one of the pictures above from his BJJ/MMA blog)