U.G.A. / Neri - Article In Daily Press

May 5, 2014

 

Hesperia's Neri is quickly making mark in MMA VICTORVILLE

 

• Lissette Neri has always been a fighter.“I did get into fights when I was a kid because of my mouth. It got me into some trouble,” Neri said. “I was in kindergarten and I got suspended because some boy was picking on my sister. I told him, ‘Come here, I have to tell you a secret’ and I bit half of his ear off.“Don’t be mean to my friends and family. I hate bullies. If you’re mean to me, I’m definitely going to come after you. I was always feisty.”Neri, 26, was involved in boxing and tae kwon do as a child, but moved away from the fighting sports as she grew up in the San Gabriel Valley in Southern California. She moved to Hesperia in 2004.Neri didn’t get back into a ring until her mid-20s.Prior to her first mixed martial arts match in September of 2013, Neri had ballooned to well over 200 pounds. She got into MMA as a way to lose weight, and within sixth months had won a world title.Losing the weight was expected, but to be crowned the Gladiator Challenge lightweight champion after having fought just five times wasn’t in her game plan. Neri expected to have a few losses on her record. Instead she’s carrying around a world title belt.“When I was a kid and doing tae kwon do, I always entered tournaments,” Neri said. “As an adult there aren’t really Mixed Martial Art tournaments. It’s a fight. That was kind of the next step for me. As soon as I had my first fight, I couldn’t get enough. I wanted to keep doing it.”Neri’s road to becoming a champion had a lot of twists and turns, with the first fork being motherhood.Neri had a son, Richard, when she was 22. That turned her into a woman she didn’t recognize.“From staying home and taking care of him, I just blew up,” Neri said. “I gained a lot of weight. I was 215 pounds and I started to try and get back into the gym.

 

When Neri made her decision to start shedding pounds, she lacked motivation. Her first foray to the gym didn’t work out. Then, through a friend, she was introduced to Tyson Johnson in 2011 and her life completely changed.Johnson founded Universal Grappling Academy in Victorville and has an extensive resume in mixed martial arts. He’s been inducted in the United States martial arts hall of fame, has the longest running gym in the High Desert and his gym has won multiple awards. He’s also a long-time ring announcer. “When she came to the gym I thought she was just going to be another member. I wasn’t sure how long she was going to last,” Johnson said. “Everything that we were doing, even though she couldn’t do a lot of it at first — she struggled — but with perseverance and determination, she really came through. She started losing weight and getting in better shape. I was half way surprised, but I like to see that. I like to see people overcome and improve themselves.”Soon Neri found herself in the octagon and her love for mixing it up had returned.“Initially it was to lose the weight, but then I just fell back in love with fighting,” Neri said. “I always loved to fight, so it kept me coming every day. That’s what kept me motivated. I enjoyed every bit (of the training) even when it’s tough.

 

“Soon after, I just went pro. It came natural. It’s about challenging myself. That’s what the fights are all about.”By the time she began her pro career, Neri had dropped 60 pounds and was fighting at 155 pounds. She already knew how box, but that isn’t enough to be a good MMA fighter. So Neri added jujitsu and wrestling to her repertoire.“Getting hit doesn’t faze me, not even a little bit,” Neri said. “I’ve always been tough. It doesn’t bother me. Every time I do get hit, it’s like a wake-up call. It’s like, you’re losing, you need to start winning.”Neri has fought five times and is undefeated at 5-0. She won her first two bouts via first-round technical knockout in a two-week span in September. Her next fight came in December and it went the distance with her winning a three-round majority decision. Neri fought one more time in December, just after Christmas, and won again via knockout in the first round.Then came her title fight in February. It was for the Gladiator Challenge lightweight title. She went the distance and after three rounds of fighting, Neri won via unanimous decision and was the new lightweight champion.“I knew she was going to be something special,” said Johnson, who is also an author and has his own website, meetthefighter.com. “She really worked hard to get there and that’s what I’m most proud of — all the hard work that she put into it. I’m glad the gym was the one to help her get there. We did what we had to do to get her into shape and to win.”Neri said she won’t forget that February night at Soboba Casino in Hemet. But for her, the win and the title aren’t about fame and fortune. They’re about accomplishing something she didn’t think was possible.Her story has been told in a documentary, “Lissette Neri: A True Champion’s Story.” It can be found on YouTube as well as meetthefighter.com and universalgrapplingacademy.com.

 

Neri said her success has come so fast, but she’s enjoying all of it. Especially the fact that her 3-year-old son Richard has been with her the whole way. Neri and Richard’s father are no longer together, but the mother-son dynamic is there every day.“Luckily, my son likes (MMA) too,” Neri said. “It cool to see him out there at such a young age because I was a little kid when I started. He comes to the gym with me and he loves it. He’s so smart. When we’re watching fights and there’s women in the cage, he’s like ‘Hey that’s like momma.’ He knows. I’ve never taken him to one of my fights. I couldn’t handle that. But he always watches them after.”After five quick fights to start her pro career, Neri isn’t scheduled to fight again until July. She has taken a break in order to lose even more weight.Johnson said the goal is for Neri, who is 5-foot-2, to fight at 135 pounds.“It’s taking the next step,” Johnson said. “At 155, she’s fighting girls as big or bigger than me sometimes. She’s fighting some of these girls who aren’t making weight and she shouldn’t have to fight them at all. ... She gets down to 135, she’ll have normal size girls to fight. (Lissette) hits hard. She’s fast and she’s tough — she can take a punch. I think at that class, she’ll really dominate.

 

”Both Neri and Johnson said they’re trying not to rush it. Johnson said he wants Neri to weigh about 145 pounds for the July bout, then eventually have her lose another 10 pounds.Neri said if she’s to get noticed by one of the bigger promotions like Bellator, Invicta FC or the Ultimate Fighting Championship, then she must fight at a lower weight.“I’ve already gotten some really good feedback and one of the promotions told me that they were looking into me but they don’t have a 155-pound class so I have to drop,” Neri said. “If I want to get into the big promotions, the bottom line is I have to drop weight. I think I can definitely make it.”At this point, Neri said she’s motivated by the fight itself and trying to make enough money to allow her to dabble in her other interests. She’s become a personal trainer, has a dog grooming business and teaches an after-school program called “THINK Together” for the Victor Elementary School District.“I would be so excited (if I got the call),” Neri said.

 

“As far as the glory of it, I don’t care about that. I love to fight. I love the sport, but I can’t say that I’d want to make this my career — not for life. It’s hard on the body. But I’d like to do it as long as I feel healthy and my body feels good.“(My son) is the most important thing. That’s one of the reasons I’m trying to get my own businesses started because I would love it if I can spend my day with him. Relationships are nice, but my kid, he makes me so happy. My goal is to support him but be with him too.”