One-time UFC middleweight championship contender
Thales Leites will collide with
Dean Lister in a showdown between two high-level Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belts at Maximum Fighting Championships 23 “Unstoppable” on Friday at the River Cree Resort and Casino in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
The middleweight bout will headline the Canadian promotion’s year-end show, which features five UFC veterans. HDNet will carry the event live at 10 p.m. ET.
Leites, cut loose by the UFC following his controversial split decision loss to American Top Team’s
Alessio Sakara in August, has dropped back-to-back bouts for the first time in his career. The 28-year-old Nova Uniao standout holds notable victories against former middleweight King of Pancrase
Nate Marquardt,
Drew McFedries,
Jose Landi-Jons and recent UFC signee
Lucio Linhares. Leites has secured nine of his 14 career wins by submission and was almost universally received as one of the world’s top 10 middleweights less than a year ago.
Lister, the 2003 Abu Dhabi Combat Club Submission Wrestling absolute division world champion, last appeared at UFC 92 in December 2008, when he dropped a unanimous decision to Japanese stalwart
Yushin Okami. The 33-year-old California has never been finished in 17 professional MMA bouts and has delivered nine of his 11 career victories by submission. Wins over UFC veterans
Jeremy Horn,
Jordan Radev and
James Lee anchor his resume.
In the co-main event, UFC castoff
Jason MacDonald will meet “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 3 cast member
Solomon Hutcherson. Released by the UFC following a first-round technical knockout loss to
Nate Quarry at UFC 97, the 34-year-old MacDonald was out-pointed by
Travis Lutter at MFC 22 in October. Hutcherson, meanwhile, has posted five wins in his past six outings.
Thales Leites vs.
Dean Lister
Jason MacDonald vs.
Solomon Hutcherson
Bryan Baker vs.
Art Santore
Ryan Jimmo vs.
Emanuel Newton
Marvin Eastman vs.
Dwayne Lewis
Joe Christopher vs.
Jesse Juarez
Ryan Fortin vs.
Nick Penner
Ryan Machan vs.
Kajan Johnson
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