"Training as if it were the most important fight in my life. The preparation is very good, the training are great. I'm training jiu-jitsu, emphasizing the striking, training here and there. The expectation will be always good, even more now that I'm coming from two defeats. It's a new start to me, actually. New event, new house... I'm training as if it were the most important fight of my life. I think that he may want to exchange a little bit, to surprise me. But, actually, both essences are jiu-jitsu.  I think that this fight might go to the ground anyway, which is good for both of us."  - Thales Leites

Thales Leites spoke to Tatame about his upcoming fight with Dean Lister at MFC: "Unstoppable" on Dec. 4, in Alberta, Canada, which will mark his first competition with Maximum Fighting Championships.

Leites signed with the Canadian promotion in Oct. 2009 - two months after being dropped from the UFC.  Leites held a 5-3 record with the UFC, but after back-to-back decision losses against Anderson Silva at UFC 97 and Alessio Sakara at UFC 101, the organization let him go.  It was surprising to many that he was let go because his bout against Anderson Silva in April 2009 had been a middleweight title fight.

With a 14-3 record overall (his only losses came inside the Octagon), Leites is looking to improve that record as he steps in to fight Dean Lister.

Lister served as an assistant coach to Tito Ortiz during The Ultimate Fighter season 3, specializing in grappling and Brazilian jiu-jitsu.  In professional MMA fights, Lister holds an 11-6 record, with a notable win over Jeremy Horn in 2008 (Horn had beaten him in their first fight in 2003).

MFC: "Unstoppable" will take place in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada on Friday, Dec. 4, from the River Cree Resort and Casino.  The event will air live on HDNet.  Leites vs. Lister will serve as the main event, accompanied by Jason McDonald vs. Solomon Hutcherson as the co-main event.  Other bouts on the card are: Emanuel Newton vs. Marvin Eastman; Jesse Juarez vs. Joe Christopher; and Nick Penner vs. Ryan Fortin.