Jade Johnson is ready to knock you out
Teen grappler moving up the ranks in women’s wrestling; hoping for a UFC career
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Most teenage girls don't think about putting people in a headlock. They also don't consider joining the UFC and knocking out people. Chloe "Jade" Johnson isn't like most teenage girls.
Jade, 14, has been wrestling for nine years at Western School Corp., currently under the tutelage of coach Trevor Young. Just finishing her seventh-grade year, the young grappler has found remarkable success. On April 15, she competed in the Nuway Nationals Folkstyle Wrestling in Lansing, Mich., and took first place in the 144-pound weight class.
"It's a pretty big win," said Jade. "I have won Hyway (Hoosier Youth Wrestling Association) State before, but the nationals are bigger."
She followed up that win with a third-place finish at the ISWA (Indiana State Wrestling Association) Freestyle State Finals on May 7. She also took fifth place at the 2023 USAW (USA Wrestling) Central Regional Championship on May 21. The finishes qualified her for national competition this summer in Fargo, ND.
Wrestling and combat sports are huge in the Johnson household. There is a shrine of sorts, honoring many of the big names in pro wrestling, sitting just off the family's living room. Jade counts Kane and "Macho Man" Randy Savage among her all-time favorite pro wrestlers. Right next to that shrine is Jade's trophy area. Championship belts and awards adorn the walls.
"I'm obsessed with wrestling; I can't get enough of it," said Jade.
Fortunately, women's wrestling is gaining momentum at the state and national levels. Though Jade has had to wrestle plenty of boys in her young career, she said that Western is trying to put together a girls team.
That didn't stop her from racking up an impressive regular-season career. Over the past two years, Jade has lost just twice in middle school competition; all against boys. However, once she reaches the high school level, varsity wrestling isn't an option unless the girls team takes hold. She said the only way she can make the varsity team is if a boy isn't wrestling in her weight class for the team.
"I'll keep wrestling with the team in practice and going to tournaments with them," said Jade. "But I'll wrestle open tournaments away from Western."
After high school, freestyle wrestling for women is hard to find. Few colleges offer women's wrestling, and there isn't a professional league. But there are other paths.
"I'd like to fight in the UFC for a couple years," said Jade. "I've trained in jiu jitsu, but I quit so I could focus on wrestling. If that doesn't work out, I'd like to wrestle at Indiana Tech. Or I might join the Army. After that, I want to be a pro wrestler in the WWE."