There’s no denying that “Lights Out” Lisa Santisteban has a nice ring to it, but the moniker has already been taken by several current and former mixed martial artists.
Invicta FC veteran Jocelyn Lybarger has been using the “Lights Out” nickname for years, and former UFC great Chris Lytle held the name throughout his storied career. At this point, the “Lights Out” nickname is synonymous with Lytle and Lybarger, which essentially makes it unusable for fighters who just recently hopped into the game.
“Lovely” Lisa?
Plenty of other fighter nicknames are available, but each appear to have something working against them. “Lovely” Lisa Santisteban? Not exactly fitting of someone who makes a living from punching people in the face. Some would argue that ‘Luna’ Lisa Santisteban would work nicely, but the “Luna” nickname is already in use by several other MMA combatants.
Aussie MMA legend “Rowdy” Bec Hyatt, who shares a nickname with UFC champ Ronda Rousey, likes to see fighters develop original nicknames, but says it’s rare that they have the opportunity to choose their own names. Hyatt thinks fighter nicknames are almost always chosen by close friends or training partners, and that most fighters don’t like the names they are given.
“Most cases, the fighter doesn’t choose their fight name, it’s given to them,” Hyatt said. “They probably hate it to begin with. Training partners, coaches or friends, they just start calling you something and it sticks.”
Hometown Pride
As for Santisteban, a 25-year-old aspiring mixed martial artist from Lawrence, she’s hoping for a moniker that integrates a New York theme.
Santisteban has been busy looking to make her pro MMA debut, but the highest weight class she can find in the female ranks is the 145-pound featherweight division. The 5-foot-10 Santisteban says it would be difficult to cut enough weight to compete in the 145-pound ranks.
She’s one of the only current females training in mixed martial arts in the New York-metro area, as the sport is still banned in the Big Apple. There are more than a handful of MMA gyms in New York, including a new UFC gym in New Hyde Park, but MMA fighting events still cannot be legally held in the state.
Santisteban, an English teacher by day and fighter by night, trains out of the world-renowned American Top Team gym in Whitestone, which is home to some of the top MMA fighters in the world.
She’s a superb striker, excellent wrestler and dynamic kickboxer. Over the past 12 months, she lost 110 pounds from training in mixed martial arts disciplines, such as muay thai, boxing, kickboxing, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and wrestling during a stint with Lynbrook’s BC MMA.
She recently squared off in a kickboxing bout since she couldn’t find a 165-pound female MMA fighter to duke it out with.
Now all she needs is the perfect nickname to complement her skill-set.
Importance of the Perfect Fighter Nickname
UFC legend Phil “The New York Bad A**” Baroni is one of a handful of MMA fighters to successfully adopt a New York theme into his fighter nickname, so Santisteban wouldn’t be the first.
A solid nickname is important because it can help a fighter inflict fear in an opponent’s heart, long before the bout ever happens. UFC legends Wanderlei “The Axe-Murderer” Silva and Chuck “The Iceman” Liddell are two of the many combat fighters who are known specifically for their unique, scary monikers.
Some others, such as Marcus “Irish Hand Grenade” Davis, find inspiration for their fighter nicknames from their hometown, and Santisteban hopes to follow down the same path.
Once fight fans witness her ferocious nature and warrior spirit, they will see she has the heart of a lion.
Santisteban smiles and says “Lisa ‘The Lawrence Lioness’ Santisteban. I’m starting to like the sound of that.”
Sources
Personal Source, Bec Hyatt
Personal Source, Lisa Santisteban
