Dean Lister training James Toney in BJJ
With his mixed martial arts debut about two months away, former multi-division boxing champion James Toney has enlisted ex-UFC star…
With his mixed martial arts debut about two months away, former multi-division boxing champion James Toney has enlisted ex-UFC star and Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt Dean Lister to tutor him in a crash course on the ground game, MMA Fighting has learned. Lister has been working with Toney for about one month in preparation for his August UFC 118 bout against UFC legend Randy Couture.
The addition of Lister to Toney’s training team gives a wider look at his preparation, which he has tried his best to keep under wraps while speculation bubbled about whether he was training for the ground game at all.
While Juanito Ibarra, who trained Quinton “Rampage” Jackson when Jackson captured the UFC light-heavyweight championship, was originally tasked with overseeing Toney’s camp, Trever Sherman is now in the role. .