Jeremy Horn will be fighting Dean “The Boogeyman” Lister in just a few hours on The Ultimate Fighter Season 7 Finale. The Season 7 cast members finally get to be on an MMA fight card with two of the sport’s wily veterans. Both Horn and Lister are good character examples for the TUF up-and-comers to look up to.

This is an interesting match-up first of all because it is a rematch. Horn and Lister first met in the cage back in 2003 at King of the Cage 31 where Horn won by majority decision. Since that time, Horn has had 18 fights and is coming of two losses in a row; the last loss being to Nate Marquardt at UFC 81 in February. Lister, on the other hand, has only had 7 fights since he and Horn last met. But Lister is actually coming into this fight off a win against Jordan Radev at UFC 79 in December of last year. However in his fight prior to that, in January 2007, Lister also lost to Nate Marquardt.

As you can see, Jeremy Horn has been the much more active fighter throughout his career. While Dean Lister has had only 15 MMA fights over his seven years as a professional with a total record of 10 wins and 5 losses. Jeremy Horn has almost as many fights in 2000 (Lister’s first year as a pro) as Dean Lister has had his whole career! Now I don’t care who you are, that’s funny! Horn’s record is 79 wins, 17 losses, 5 draws. I have to be honest though, Horn has not looked good in his last few appearances and to be honest. I like Lister but he fights so infrequently I sometimes forget he’s still in the UFC. The most Dean Lister has ever fought in one year was three times and that was in 2003. He averages about two fights a year and sometimes one.

Lister’s record is a little misleading because he does have quite an extensive and very impressive record in jiu-jitsu, grappling, and sambo. According to the San Diego Boxing Club’s website (where Lister is a trainer) he was a Two-Time National Sambo Champion, Four-Time Machado National Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Champion, National Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Champion, and the 2003 and 2005 Abu Dhabi Absolute Champion.

So we have two veterans of the sport here. One who has an ungodly amount of experience who’s been in more fights than the Taliban but has become a journeyman type of fighter who travels around to different shows making a living as a professional mixed martial artist but has long since passed the days where he was considered a top contender who actively made a goal of seeking a title. Then we have The Boogeyman who could possibly earn his way into contender-status if he really set his sights on it and he at least has started back on the winning track but he really has to win this fight if he ever expects or even desires a title shot; otherwise, at the rate he likes to fight, he’ll be too old to build up a new winning streak. Both fighters are jiu-jitsu grappling masters so this potentially turn out to be a very exciting fight.
Good luck to both men.

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