Why Euphoria Made Sydney Sweeney Hang Up Her MMA Gloves

Sydney Sweeney throwing real punches on screen? Not exactly a surprise if you know her backstory. Even if Christy didn’t light up the box office, it gave Sweeney the rare chance to marry her day job with the thing she grew up loving: fighting.

From TKD at five to grappling as a teen

Sweeney wasn’t just dabbling. She started Taekwondo at five, then got into kickboxing and grappling around 12 or 13 and kept at it until about 19. The only reason she stopped was work: when The Handmaid’s Tale and Euphoria hit, she realized coming to set covered in bruises was not going to fly. She’s said she always wanted to find a role that let that side of her come back out. Christy was the one.

Yes, she used to beat guys in the gym

In Los Angeles, Sweeney trained at the Hayastan MMA Academy under Arthur Chivichyan. His memory of her lines up with what she’s said: she trained hard, didn’t complain, and was there multiple times a week, sweating through the grind. The gym was overwhelmingly male, which didn’t change the plan. Because women’s divisions were thin, she sometimes faced men in grappling and kickboxing tournaments. And, yes, she won.

• Chivichyan says the gym was "99% men," but Sweeney showed up consistently and worked like everyone else.
• New guys would join, underestimate her, and get handled.
• He backs her up on competing against men when there weren’t enough female opponents.
• That no-nonsense mindset, he believes, made her a natural fit for playing Christy Martin.

On set for Christy: no pulled punches

Here’s where it gets spicy: Sweeney insists the fights you see in Christy weren’t cinematic fluff. She and her scene partners actually hit each other to keep everything honest.

"Every single fight you see, we are actually punching each other. We are going full force. I always believed that you would not be able to make it feel real if it’s a stunt double or if it’s faking the hits."

To get there, she boxed three hours a day, lifted, and changed her diet to put on 30–35 pounds for the role. That’s a heavy ask on the body, but she was all-in.

"I felt very strong and powerful. I loved it. Being able to lose myself to become a vessel for somebody else is my dream."

That 'element of surprise'

Sweeney has talked about the rush she got from being the only girl on the mats as a teenager, walking into rooms where dads weren’t thrilled their sons had to spar a girl... and then she’d win. Call it competitive fuel. Call it perfect casting for a Christy Martin story. Either way, it tracks.

So yeah, Christy didn’t smash financially. But as a showcase for Sweeney’s fighter roots and her willingness to get hit for the take, it’s kind of the point. What did you think of the movie — and her MMA past? Tell me below.

Rent/buy Christy on Prime Video.