When an extremely boring and painful fight it was to watch! Both Dean Lister and Jordan Radev should not be invited back for a long time.

Lister is GOOD on the ground (just watch some ADCC Submission Championships for proof), but he severely is still lacking in two other very important aspects of his MMA in order to even take advantage of his best skill. He's been fighting professionally since 2000 with some decent success in King of the Cage promotion and finishing up his stint there with a very close competitive loss to a UFC/Pride veteran Jeremy Horn. Around 2004 he was invited to Pride Bushido and started the step up in the competition level with one of the worst fights in history of MMA against Amar Suloev. He fought a striker with good takedown defense and neither Lister nor Suloev wanted to engage much. Suloev won on a very few landed punches. Take my word for it, it was horrible. Lister followed that fight with a triangle choke win against always tough Akira Shoji, who engaged Lister on the ground at his own peril, and a surprisingly competitive loss with a tough light heavyweight contender Ricardo Arona. Despite the decision loss, it was Lister's best fight yet and it was also what got him into UFC.

Lister's UFC career started off with quick triangle choke win (due to a nice rubber guard play) against an inexperienced on the ground Allessio Sakara. He then decisioned a veteran Japanese fighter Yuki Sasaki. Another step up in the level of competition against, a contender at 185, Nathan Marquart didn't go so well for Lister. His virtually non-existent takedowns and sloppy awkward stand up were to blame.

Everyone knows about Lister's excellent ground game, top or bottom, so fighters do not want to engage him there. Unfortunately for the UFC and the fans, he really cannot get there even if he wants to, because he doesn't have the tools. What's also unfortunate is that since 2004 when these glaring weaknesses were so glaring to the world, he still hasn't managed to improve on them. He wouldn't even have to improve both. Pick just one! Takedowns or standup. Which one Dean? How many more failed attempts of a telegraphed a mile away half ass shot to trying to have the sprawling fighter fall in to you guard will it take for Lister to learn to have good takedowns? Why's wrestling one of the most dominant aspects of MMA? Because fighters with good wrestling can dictate where the fight will take place. Does Dean Lister not get that? 

Why am I bothering writing about this boring fight between Lister and Radev? Because it's painful to see a fighter with a gift not willing to learn a way to showcase it. May be a ticket to minor leagues will wake Lister up?  Also, just like in the last HDNet fights event, fighters should be penalized for butt flopping, who does that in this day and age? UFC should take notice.

Jordan Radev, on the other hand, what in the world was his game plan coming in to this fight? His standup was just as sloppy and bad as Lister's. Why didn't he use his wrestling to score points at least? After forcing myself through watching this fight I don't care to see him fight anywhere. How did he get into UFC anyways?