Dustin Hazelett is at the top of our list to keep an eye on in the UFC. "On account of his knockout power" you might ask? No - he is honestly kind of puny. "Because of his record?" Negative - he is a decent 12-6 (only 5-4 in the UFC). "Due to his fantastic brand new beard?" Maybe. You guessed it... I like Dustin Hazelett on account of his Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Let's look at Hazelett's stats, and why I am excited to see his BJJ displayed at UFC 124.
So what's special about Dustin Hazelett?
First things first, and possibly most importantly, we have Dustin's previously mentioned beard. It is reminiscent of a frenchman, and I'm positive it affords him the slightest sliver of an upper hand in the fight. Not likely.
Dustin Hazelett is a 170-pound, BJJ Black Belt in the Welterweight division of the UFC. His UFC record is a mediocre 5-4. Though, we should say that he's fought with some considerable injuries and one of those was lost to Josh Koscheck, who is headlining the UFC 124 card. Hazelett finished 4 of those 5 fights by submission. 9 of his overall 12 MMA wins are by submission, so there's no guessing when it comes to Dustin's fight strategy. He's a submission artist, and each of his oppenents realizes it... another reason he is at the top of my favorite fighters list.
One of the greatest tests of a grappler is to match up against a real wrestler, or maybe a striker, who is purposely guarding against getting taken down. (Get ready for a clique) The old adage holds true "The best offense is a good defense". And quite a few dodging fighters have found their way through bouts against a grappler - averting themselves to a victory you might say.
Hazelett, winner of "Sherdog's Submission of the Year" with an phenomenal armbar while facing Josh Burkman, has lost his previous 2 fights. I'm hopeful that he's "smartened up" as he is fighting with his UFC 124 canadian opponent, Mark Bocek. Bocek is a fair striker, and an even fairer grappler. Something tells me, however, that Bocek won't be aching to get to the ground in this fight.
Beyond the cage, Dustin Hazelett is a class-act guy. He's a great illustration of BJJ in MMA. Dustin has a passion for Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and he's featuring it in the Ultimate Fighting Championship's octagon where the best fighters in the world meet.
Due to Hazelett's excellent attitude, his raw BJJ skill, and his overall portrayal of BJJ in MMA, we wish him a successful bout on December 11 via whichever submission he chooses.
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