Thales Leites (14-1) won in a very narrow fight over Nate Marquardt at UFC 85:Bedlam when Marquardt was penalized for throwing elbows to the back of his head. Many felt that Marquardt was unfairly deducted the points and the (referee) Herb Dean was being cautious because he was already warned in the 1st round. Regardless; Leites earned the victory making it his 4th straight in the UFC since losing to Martin Kampmann a few years ago. Now he is set to face fellow Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu ace Dean Lister (11-5) at Ultimate Fight. Night 15 on September 17.
This should prove to be a Jiu-Jitsu clinic and a very contested fight as both fighters are going for their 5th win in 6 fights. Both have excellent ground games and are looking to separate themselves from the other fighters in the middleweight division. The fighter who has the best stand up may prove to be the victor as many times when opponents match up this well its the one intangible that proves to be the biggest factor in deciding the winner.