ADCC 2003: The Boogeyman Dean Lister's Absolute Run

By Fanatics Authors, May 19, 2017

The 2003 ADCC event in Sao Paulo was not Dean Lister's first taste of ADCC victory, having won a fight in 2001 before meeting up with Ricardo Almeida in the quarterfinals and in 2002, Dean won the ADCC North American Trials. But 2003 would be a magical run which saw Dean come back after losing to the legendary Alexandre Ribeiro in the under 99kg division to make a victorious run in the Absolute Division after being called back to replace an injured competitor.

This run would see "The Boogeyman" set a tournament record, defeating 4 straight opponents with three of them by submission. These opponents were a who's who of grappling legends and future UFC fighters, like Nathan Marquardt, Marcio Cruz and BJJ legend Saulo Ribeiro.

BJJ and grappling practitioners are very lucky today to have the plethora of instructionals and resources to expand their grappling knowledge. In the early days, if you were lucky enough to have access to competition footage, you could watch matches like these over and over and try to emulate the techniques. Sometimes it's important to take a look back and see where we've come from to help us better understand where our BJJ road is going. Sit back and enjoy these classic matches with one of the living legends of the sport, Dean Lister.

Never give up on the kimura

In this match, watch the devastating tenacity of Dean's submission attack. Though most well known for his leg attacks, one can learn a great deal from the patient and deadly control that Lister maintained on Nate's arm.

Attacking the legs of a legend

After a long, back and forth battle with much of it contested on the feet, Dean and Saulo found themselves in deep waters with Dean eventually launching a late attack which saw a back attack and a mount take. The amazing finish is one that you will watch over and over to fully take in the flawless technique of the Boogeyman.

To learn more about the role of the knee bar or knee lock and also Dean Lister, check out our article here.

Withstanding the storm of Marcio Cruz

This would be the only match where Dean did not submit his opponent, having just defeated Marquardt by kimura and Ribeiro by knee bar. In this match, Cruz attacked the back and had Dean in a very dangerous head and arm choke for quite some time. Lister was able to persevere and ultimately come out on top.

Heelhooks and history

In the finals, Dean would meet Alexandre "Cacareco" Ferreira. This would be the shortest of his four matches in this storied Absolute run, but certainly not his easiest. Ferreira would catch Dean in a very tight guillotine that he was able to slip out of and end up in Ferreira's guard. This would prove extremely beneficial for Dean as the referee reset the action in the center of the mat. The next leg attack series launch Dean into the grappling stratosphere and make him one of the most sought after and knowledgeable instructors of leg attacks.

Today leg attacks are one of the fastest growing, yet still controversial areas of grappling and jiu jitsu. Many instructors and academies shy away from them, while even more are finally beginning to see the results that can be achieved by incorporating them into ones curriculum and competitive game plan.

To further immerse yourself in the game of Dean Lister, check out his K.A.T.C.H. system here.