Hazelett vs Parisyan Added To UFC 106

by Robert Sargent

Adding to an already solid card, the Ultimate Fighting Championship will pit jiu-jitsu against judo at UFC 106 when fast-rising star Dustin "McLovin" Hazelett takes on Karo "The Heat" Parisyan, who is making his return after a suspension.

The welterweight bout is a very interesting one, as a loss, coupled with his recent troubles, could send Parisyan packing, while Hazelett has everything to gain.

The fight will be Parisyan's first since serving a nine-month suspension after testing positive for steroids following his highly controversial Split Decision victory over Dong Hyun "Stun Gun" Kim at UFC 94. The result of the fight was later overturned and ruled a No Decision by the Nevada State Athletic Commission.

Parisyan (18-5-0, 1 ND) has had a seemingly endless list of problems over the past few years, ranging from injuries to panic attacks, and even withdrew from a scheduled bout with Yoshiyuki "Zenko" Yoshida the day before the fight was set to take place. With all of his troubles, a loss to Hazelett could finally signal the end of Parisyan's UFC run, if not his career entirely.

Hazelett (12-4-0), on the other hand, has very little to lose and everything to gain from the fight with Parisyan. A victory would be a huge step towards future title contention and would move Hazelett from a rising prospect to a legitimate force in the UFC's welterweight division.

Hazelett has not fought since his impressive submission victory over Tamdan "The Barn Cat" McCrory at UFC 91 last November, after an injury forced him out of a planned UFC 96 bout with Ben "Killa B" Saunders.

Parisyan's Judo throws will likely be in full effect in this fight, as he will possess a considerable strength advantage over the lanky Hazelett. However, Hazelett's ground game is outstanding and Parisyan will need to be wary of submissions at all times. It's a fight that will likely go the distance unless Hazelett can trap the veteran Parisyan in one of his unorthodox submission holds, but Parisyan won't be able to skate through this fight to earn a boring decision win.


Also on the card, a lightweight bout between two-time title challenger Kenny "KenFlo" Florian and Clay "The Carpenter" Guida will round out the televised portion. The event is headlined by a UFC Heavyweight Championship bout between Brock Lesnar and Shane Carwin and takes place on November 21st from the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas.