Middleweight Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belts, Dean Lister (11-5) and Thales Leites (14-1), will each look to climb another rung in the 185-pound division when the two meet at UFC Fight Night 15 at the Omaha Civic Auditorium in Omaha, Neb., on September 17, according to InTheGuard.tv.
The “Bogeyman” slapped on a first round, fight-ending guillotine choke to submit veteran Jeremy Horn at The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 7 Finale last month. Prior to the win, Lister returned from a severe biceps injury to outpoint Jordan Radev on all three judges scorecards at UFC 79: “Nemesis.”
He has quietly won four of five bouts inside the Octagon.
Leites can say the same thing; however, his performances have not been so quiet. Since losing his promotional debut back in 2006, the Brazilian has rattled of four straight wins. And that includes a controversial split decision win of perennial contender, Nathan Marquardt, at UFC 85: “Bedlam” last month.
He will likely be the favorite heading into this bout, considering his ground game is equal to if not better than Lister’s and his stand up is more refined. Regardless, it should be a technical battle with the loser being the first man to make a mistake.
To check out the latest UFC Fight Night 15 card and rumors click here.
Lightweight submission specialists Thiago Tavares (13-2) and Kurt Pellegrino (15-4) will tangle at UFC 88: “Breakthrough” at the Philips Arena in Atlanta, Ga. on September 6.
It’s a match up between two 155-pound fighters who up until recently were in the title hunt. However, recent losses for both fighters have temporarily dashed those hopes, making this showdown super important for the winner — it will get him back in the mix much faster.
After bursting on the UFC scene with two straight wins, Tavares created quite a buzz — he was being touted as a possible threat to the champion. However, he has since come back down to Earth, losing two of his last three fights. And the last one — a knockout defeat courtesy of Matt Wiman at UFC 85: “Bedlam” last month — was a huge setback.
Pellegrino was dominating his last fight against Nate Diaz at UFC Fight Night 13 back in April; however, he made one small mistake and the resilient Diaz was able to capitalize and lock in a fight-ending triangle choke in the second round. It was a bitter pill to swallow — he was really putting it on Diaz prior to the stoppage.
“Batman” really needs a win here. He has historically rebounded from a loss with a win. The only problem is that lately he has been inconsistent (Loss, win, win, loss, win, loss).
This match up will top the preliminary festivities, which means that there is no guarantee it will air on the pay-per-view (PPV) broadcast. To check out the rest of the UFC 88 card and rumors click here.
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