# Dean Lister

Dean Richard Lister (born February 13, 1976) is a retired American mixed martial artist (MMA) and submission grappler. He is a 4th degree Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) black belt, luta livre black belt, and coach. Lister is considered a pioneer of grappling and mixed martial arts.
In MMA, Lister competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and PRIDE. He is a former King of the Cage Middleweight Champion. In submission grappling, Lister won two ADCC World Championship tournaments and the ADCC Superfight Championship.

## Early life

Lister grew up in a military family and lived in several South American countries, including Venezuela and Panama. Lister speaks several languages. He lived in Panama during the U.S. invasion in 1989, and, according to Lister, he was "right in the middle of a serious combat zone". After living in several different cities in the United States, Lister's family settled in San Diego for Lister's high school years, where he attended Hilltop High School.

## Career

Lister often fought as a kid, mostly due to a combination of being the "new kid", a foreigner, and being small for his age. The need to protect himself led Lister to Wrestling and Sambo. He started wrestling in high school, and became the high school division wrestling champion and a U.S. sambo Champion. Shortly after graduating from high school, Lister visited the Fábio Santos Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Academy in San Diego with his wrestling teammates, and became very interested in the sport. He started competing in Brazilian jiu-jitsu in 1996, six months after he started training.
From 1997–2003, Lister worked as an instructor for Santos. Lister teaches both beginner and advanced students at Victory MMA in San Diego. The classes typically begin with Dean teaching submission grappling techniques from various grappling arts he's accumulated during the years, followed by sparring.
He maintains that it is "the biggest and most challenging sport that exists". Lister does not favor any particular technique, although he is mostly known for his leg attacks (foot locks and knee locks).
Lister is a high school wrestling champion, two-time U.S. National Sambo champion, four-time U.S. Machado National Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Champion (weight class and open class), and a National Gracie Jiu Jitsu champion.
It is worth noting that one of Lister's MMA losses is against Nathan Marquardt, despite previously submitting him in the 2003 ADCC tournament.
Lister was a King of the Cage Middleweight Champion, and defended his title several times before losing to Jeremy Horn in a Light Heavyweight fight. KOTC stripped Dean of his title after the loss, even though it was at a higher weight class. Years later, Lister avenged this loss by submitting Jeremy Horn with a guillotine choke in the TUF 7 finale.
Lister lost a three-round unanimous decision to Yushin Okami at UFC 92 on December 27, 2008, dropping his UFC record to 4–2. He subsequently requested to be released from his UFC contract, and has since signed with the Maximum Fighting Championship.
Dean Lister and Renato Sobral fought to a draw at Metamoris 3 in a submission wrestling match.
In the co-main event of Metamoris 4 on August 9, 2014, Lister faced Josh Barnett to determine the inaugural Metamoris Heavyweight Champion. Barnett became the first person in sixteen years to defeat Lister via submission, submitting Lister with a scarf hold in the final thirty seconds of the match.

### ADCC

Lister competed in the first ADCC North American trial in 2002, winning the under 99kg division. He was then invited to compete at ADCC 2003 and won the absolute division at the tournament before returning in 2005 to become the Superfight champion, defeating Jean Jacques Machado. He claimed the gold medal again in 2011 in the under 99 kg division by submitting João Assis in the final by a heel hook. He also submitted jiu-jitsu world champion Rodolfo Vieira, in his weight division, also with a heel hook. At the 2013 ADCC in Beijing, China, Lister defeated Cristiano Lazzarini in the semi-finals of the under 99 kg division by heel hook but would go on to lose on points in the finals to João Assis; In the absolute division Lister submitted both Hideki Sekine and João Gabriel Rocha by heel hook before losing to Marcus Almeida in the semi-finals. Lister also lost to Keenan Cornelius in the bronze medal match both on points.
Lister is notable for an ADCC triple crown by winning his weight division, the absolute division and a superfight. In 2022, Lister earned the honor of being part of the inaugural class of the ADCC Hall of Fame and was the first American to be included.

## Coaching career

Lister's sparring partner and former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion, Tito Ortiz, invited him to be his assistant grappling coach on the third season of the Spike TV reality show, The Ultimate Fighter.
Lister served as a coach alongside Roger Gracie, Jean Jacques Machado, and Rigan Machado on season 6 of the Professional Grappling Federation on April 21 to 26, 2024. Lister led Team Black Rifle Coffee Company at the tournament, and finished in third place.
Lister returned to coach on season 7 of the Professional Grappling Federation on November 3 to 8, 2024, alongside Roger Gracie, Pedro Sauer, and Carlos Machado. He led the Constellation Network team.

## Personal life

In April 2021, Lister was hospitalized due to being involved in a hit and run which resulted in a ruptured spleen.

## Championships and accomplishments

* Ultimate Fighting Championship
** UFC.com Awards
*** 2006: Ranked #5 Submission of the Year vs. Alessio Sakara

## Mixed martial arts record

Professional record breakdown :
| 20 matches | 13 wins | 7 losses |
| By submission | 11 | 0 |
| By decision | 2 | 7 |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
| Win | 13–7 | Michael Knaap | Submission (heel hook) | Fightor 1 | January 17, 2015 | 1 | N/A | Charleroi, Belgium | |
| Win | 12–7 | Rodney Moore | Submission (inverted heel hook) | Cage Contender 13 | March 28, 2012 | 3 | 2:44 | Belfast, Northern Ireland | |
| Loss | 11–7 | Thales Leites | Decision (unanimous) | MFC 23 | December 4, 2009 | 3 | 5:00 | Edmonton, Alberta, Canada | |
| Loss | 11–6 | Yushin Okami | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 92 | December 27, 2008 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Win | 11–5 | Jeremy Horn | Submission (guillotine choke) | TUF 7 Finale | June 21, 2008 | 1 | 3:53 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Win | 10–5 | Jordan Radev | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 79 | December 29, 2007 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Loss | 9–5 | Nate Marquardt | Decision (unanimous) | UFC Fight Night 8 | January 25, 2007 | 3 | 5:00 | Hollywood, Florida, United States | |
| Win | 9–4 | Yuki Sasaki | Decision (unanimous) | UFC Fight Night 6 | August 17, 2006 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Win | 8–4 | Alessio Sakara | Submission (triangle choke) | UFC 60 | May 27, 2006 | 1 | 2:20 | Los Angeles, California, United States | |
| Loss | 7–4 | Ricardo Arona | Decision (unanimous) | PRIDE Total Elimination 2005 | April 23, 2005 | 3 | 5:00 | Osaka, Japan | 2005 PRIDE Middleweight Grand Prix Opening round. |
| Win | 7–3 | Akira Shoji | Submission (triangle choke) | PRIDE Bushido 6 | April 3, 2005 | 1 | 3:13 | Yokohama, Japan | |
| Loss | 6–3 | Amar Suloev | Decision (split) | PRIDE Bushido 4 | July 19, 2004 | 2 | 5:00 | Nagoya, Japan | |
| Loss | 6–2 | Jeremy Horn | Decision (majority) | KOTC 31: King of the Cage 31 | December 6, 2003 | 4 | 5:00 | San Jacinto, California, United States | For the KOTC Light Heavyweight Championship. |
| Win | 6–1 | James Lee | Submission (armbar) | KOTC 29: Renegades | September 5, 2003 | 1 | N/A | San Jacinto, California, United States | Defended the KOTC Middleweight Championship. |
| Win | 5–1 | Brian Sleeman | Submission (double armbar) | KOTC 25: Flaming Fury | June 29, 2003 | 1 | 1:14 | San Jacinto, California, United States | Defended the KOTC Middleweight Championship. |
| Win | 4–1 | Brendan Seguin | Submission (triangle choke) | KOTC 16: Double Cross | August 2, 2002 | 3 | 4:37 | San Jacinto, California, United States | Won the vacant KOTC Middleweight Championship. |
| Win | 3–1 | Jacen Flynn | Submission (kimura) | KOTC 12: Cold Blood | February 9, 2002 | 2 | 4:28 | San Jacinto, California, United States | |
| Win | 2–1 | Jerry Jenkins | Submission (heel hook) | KOTC 11: Domination | September 29, 2001 | 1 | 4:24 | San Jacinto, California, United States | |
| Loss | 1–1 | Jacen Flynn | Decision (split) | KOTC 7: Wet and Wild | February 24, 2001 | 3 | 5:00 | San Jacinto, California, United States | |
| Win | 1–0 | John Jensen | Submission (kneebar) | KOTC 5: Cage Wars | September 16, 2000 | 1 | 1:50 | San Jacinto, California, United States | |

## Grappling record

Professional record breakdown :
| 39 matches | 24 wins | 13 losses |
| By submission | 19 | 3 |
| By decision | 5 | 10 |
| Draws | 2 | 2 |
| Result | Opponent | Method | Event | Division | Year |
| Loss | Muhammad Kerimov | Submission (shoulder injury during an Ezekiel choke) | ACBJJ | Superfight | 2015 |
| Loss | Yuri Simoes | Points (3-5) | ADCC 2015 | Absolute | 2015 |
| Win | Ricardo Mesquita | Submission (heel hook) | ADCC 2015 | Absolute | 2015 |
| Loss | Orlando Mario Sanchez | Referee Decision | ADCC 2015 | +99 | 2015 |
| Win | Hyung Chul-Lee | Submission (armlock) | ADCC 2015 | +99 | 2015 |
| Loss | Keenan Cornelius | Submission (reverse triangle choke) | Polaris Professional Jiu Jitsu Invitational | Superfight | 2015 |
| Loss | Josh Barnett | Submission (scarf-hold choke) | Metamoris IV | Superfight | 2014 |
| Draw | Renato Sobral | Draw | Metamoris III | Superfight | 2014 |
| Win | Janne-Pekka Pietiläinen | Referee Decision | Macaco Branco Primates | Superfight | 2014 |
| Win | Tarsis Humphreys | Submission (heel hook) | World Jiu-Jitsu Expo | Superfight | 2013 |
| Loss | Keenan Cornelius | Points | ADCC 2013 | Absolute | 2013 |
| Loss | Marcus Almeida | Points | ADCC 2013 | Absolute | 2013 |
| Win | João Gabriel Rocha | Submission (heel hook) | ADCC 2013 | Absolute | 2013 |
| Win | Hideki Sekine | Submission (heel hook) | ADCC 2013 | Absolute | 2013 |
| Loss | João Assis | Points | ADCC 2013 | -99 kg | 2013 |
| Win | Cristiano Lazzarini | Submission (heel hook) | ADCC 2013 | -99 kg | 2013 |
| Win | Ezra Lenon | Submission (heel hook) | ADCC 2013 | -99 kg | 2013 |
| Win | Jia Jing Jang | Submission (heel hook) | ADCC 2013 | -99 kg | 2013 |
| Loss | João Assis | Referee Decision | Grapplers Quest: UFC Fan Expo | Absolute | 2013 |
| Win | Kyle Griffin | Submission (toe hold) | Grapplers Quest: UFC Fan Expo | Absolute | 2013 |
| Draw | Alexandre Ribeiro | Draw | Metamoris I | Superfight | 2012 |
| Win | Ricardo Abreu | Submission (heel hook) | Grapplers Quest: UFC Fan Expo | Superfight | 2012 |
| Win | João Assis | Submission (heel hook) | ADCC 2011 | -99 kg | 2011 |
| Win | Rodolfo Vieira | Submission (heel hook) | ADCC 2011 | -99 kg | 2011 |
| Win | Radek Turek | Submission (heel hook) | ADCC 2011 | -99 kg | 2011 |
| Win | Augusto Ferrari | Points | ADCC 2011 | -99 kg | 2011 |
| Loss | Vinny Magalhães | Points | ADCC 2009 | Absolute | 2009 |
| Loss | Glover Teixeira | Points | ADCC 2009 | -99 kg | 2009 |
| Win | Andreas Olsen | Submission (triangle choke) | ADCC 2009 | -99 kg | 2009 |
| Win | Jean Jacques Machado | Points | ADCC 2005 | Superfight | 2005 |
| Win | Alexandre Ferreira | Submission (heel hook) | ADCC 2003 | Absolute | 2003 |
| Win | Márcio Cruz | Points (3-0) | ADCC 2003 | Absolute | 2003 |
| Win | Saulo Ribeiro | Submission (kneebar) | ADCC 2003 | Absolute | 2003 |
| Win | Nate Marquardt | Submission (kimura) | ADCC 2003 | Absolute | 2003 |
| Loss | Alexandre Ribeiro | Points | ADCC 2003 | -99 kg | 2003 |
| Win | Ilir Latifi | Submission (guillotine choke) | ADCC 2003 | -99 kg | 2003 |
| Loss | Marc Laimon | Points (2-4) | Grapplers Quest West | Absolute | 2000 |
| Win | Tony DeSouza | Points (4-2) | Grapplers Quest West | Absolute | 2000 |
| Win | Sean Sprangler | Submission (neck crank) | Grapplers Quest West | Absolute | 2000 |

## Instructor lineage

Kano Jigoro → Tomita Tsunejiro → Mitsuyo "Count Koma" Maeda → Carlos Gracie, Sr. → Helio Gracie → Rickson Gracie → Fabio Santos → Jeffrey Higgs → Dean Lister