:::... L a d y S p o r t s ... Q & A Persia ... :::

Q & A Persia

"The day wrestling stops putting a smile on my face is the day I retire from wrestling"

There's tough. There's wrestler tough. And then there's the kind of toughness you don't even begin to suspect you're capable of, until the moment calls upon you.

For the exotic grappler known as Persia, that call came like a bolt from the blue in November of 2010. That was when the doctor told this seemingly perfectly healthy young woman that she had a level 1 grade malignant brain tumor.

The thoughts and emotions she felt upon hearing this news are her own, and are not for us to pry into. But what we do know is how she reacted: She chose to fight.

What else could she do? This woman, who has studied martial arts for most of her life... who has chosen a career in the ring... who has the blood of ancient warriors in her veins... what other course was there? So, she toughened up, and she fought.

And she's winning!

Recently, Persia's physicians have approved her return to the ring, which is a remarkable testament not only to their medical skills, but more importantly to her willpower.

"I'm not going to let this tumor dictate my life," she says. "I love wrestling... it puts a smile on my face."

LadySports is very proud to introduce this remarkable young woman to fans worldwide!


The Stats:

Height: 5 feet 2 inches

Weight: 125 pounds

Hair: Brunette

Hometown: Richmond, Virginia

LADYSPORTS: Welcome to LadySports, Persia! Tell us, when did you first get into the sport?
PERSIA: Two years ago.

LS: And who trained you?
P: GXW Training School, run by Mr. Dave Cullen.

LS: Who have been your biggest ongoing inspirations to be a wrestler?
P: Mae Young and Lita.

LS: What are you like in the ring, personality-wise?
P: I'm a no nonsense fighter.

LS: Describe a typical day of training for you. What is most important in your workout?
P: Run, weight training, warm-ups in and out of ring, then in-ring drills... in-ring drills are very important to me.

LS: How would you best describe your ring style?
P: Technical, with a mixed martial arts background.

LS: Who have been your toughest opponents to date?
P: Kacee Carlisle.

LS: And who have been your biggest allies?
P: Jersey Kidd.

LS: What has been your most memorable win?
P: The Prince George match where I won the GXW Women's belt!

LS: And how about your worst loss? A: Any loss is bad, but I've learned valuable lessons from them, and that's how I won the belt... by learning from my mistakes and improving myself.

LS: Who is the one wrestler you would most like to face in the ring, but haven't yet?
P: Sara del Ray, whom I very much respect.

LS: And if you had to retire tomorrow and could have only one more match, who would you most like to wrestle?
P: Beth Phoenix... that would be one tough match!

LS: What is your favorite style of match?
P: I like no-nonsense matches, nice and stiff.

LS: If you had the power, what one thing would you do to improve the sport?
P: Less talk, more action!

LS: Any regrets?
P: I wish I had started wrestling when I was younger.

LS: What would you do if you couldn't be in wrestling?
P: Mixed martial arts... although not with my current condition.

LS: Can you tell us what the one piece of advice you would give to someone just starting out in the sport would be?
P: Don't rush trying to learn big moves... learn the basics first, which will avoid injuries in the long run. Those who don't learn the basics risk not only just injuring themselves, but others as well.

LS: What is your personal motto?
P: The day wrestling stops putting a smile on my face is the day I retire from wrestling... which will never happen in this lifetime.

LS: And lastly, anything else you'd like to add?
P: The fans are what I thought about through my struggle, fighting against this brain tumor... their cheeering me on to keep fighting. So I just want to thank them.

facebook.com/Persia76

pics courtesy of Persia

LADYSPORTS SPOTLIGHT: PERSIA

Q & A Persia

"The day wrestling stops putting a smile on my face is the day I retire from wrestling"