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UFC welterweight Dustin Hazelett still healing, playing return by ear | MMAjunkie.com

UFC 108 co-main event fighter Dustin Hazelett (12-5 MMA, 5-2 UFC) is not in any rush to jump back into the octagon.

The 23-year-old native Kentuckian is suspended until July 2 for a fractured orbital and nasal fracture he sustained in his fight with Paul Daley and just last month returned to the gym to work on his gi jiu-jitsu.

But unlike many fighters who profess they're restless to get back into the octagon as soon as possible, Hazelett is playing his return by ear.

"I learned a little bit of a lesson about rushing into things," Hazelett explained to MMAjunkie.com (mmajunkie.com). "I want to take my time with it, and work on some holes in my game. I'm not as worried about who I'm fighting next or when I'm fighting next as I am with fixing the holes in my game."

Hazelett said he spent the first two months after the fight playing video games, watching TV, and eating junk food. That was a good thing.

"I took full advantage," he said. "It let my body heal up completely."

Hazelett took the Jan. 2 fight with Daley mere weeks after a scheduled fight with Karo Parisyan at UFC 106 fell through when "The Heat" pulled out of the fight last-minute. Most of his team thought it was a bad idea to take the fight. Only his Muay Thai coach, Dorian Price, urged him to follow his heart.

"My mind said it was a bad idea, but my heart said, 'Take the fight,'" Hazelett said. "Any time you listen to your heart, that's what you're supposed to do regardless of how it turns out."

What started as a two-month camp for Parisyan – a grappling specialist – turned into less than three weeks of training for a seasoned striker.

That may have played in his head as he walked to the octagon. His head was slung low; the strains of Emmylou Harris' "Wayfaring Stranger" – a personal favorite –blared on the arena's speakers, a noticeable departure from the usual pulse of metal or rap entrance music. Hazelett did not look happy.

He said he wanted to stay calm. Daley, who was previously scheduled to fight Carlos Condit before the "Natural Born Killer" withdrew due to a hand injury, had taken jabs at Hazelett's trainers, and the grappler didn't want to let himself be drawn into the conflict.

Hazelett was a bit too calm inside the cage. To the surprise of many, he stood with Daley. But he looked out of sync – a step behind. Then, all at once, Daley countered Hazelett's kick with a ferocious left hook that knocked him out cold.

"The gameplan was to take him down as soon as possible," Hazelett said. "But I didn't want to rush it too much. I wanted to get him to leap in so I could time it properly. I knew that if I just shot out of the blue, where he's so explosive and quick, he would get out of the way.

"The gameplan was definitely not to stand with him. But I just didn't get around to it quick enough."

Three months after the fight, Hazelett says he wasn't there mentally that night. But that's all he'll say – you won't catch him making excuses.

Is he cool with Daley now?

"I guess," he said. "Apparently he came backstage and apologized for his antics. I don't remember that; I was still off in la-la land.

"Apparently, I told him, 'It's alright, I don't remember the fight anyway.' I don't remember anything until they started taking me into the ambulance. I was very punch-drunk."

Despite the result, Hazelett has no regrets about taking the fight.

"This sport is all about taking risks," he said. "Every fight is a risk. You're never guaranteed a victory. You can't not take a fight because it's dangerous. That's not what fighters are supposed to do. Even if I had full time to prepare, the results could have been the same. There's a reason he got that many knockouts (on his record)."

Now, the focus has shifted on what he can do better. While he can conceivably return in late summer, he's in no rush.

"If I rush back into a fight, I know I've got to start preparing, and the fight camp will start sooner, and I won't get as much time to work on the stuff I'm bad at," Hazelett said.

"I'm just kind of taking it slow."

[kingrobert]

Hazelett is a really good up and comer. Anyone who decides to stand and trade with Daley is going to get there ass kicked. Daley is a monster of his feet but his ground game is really lacking. Hopefully Dustin can continue to work his hands and get better.

I really hope Kos has payed attention to the last 2 guys that Daley has blasted. If Kos doesnt get the takedown he is going to sleep too.

[jaljn]

Dustin seems like a cool guy, and sensible taking his time to come back after such a nasty KO.
Really hoping McLovin wins his next fight whenever that may be, and hoping even more Daley does the same to Kos when they fight.

[Xanatos]

I can't stop but stare at Hazelett's ears. it's distracting.

[lwbrewer]

That sounds like a very good appoarch for him to take. Just hope he doesn't have little guy's in his head telling him things in his next fight. Kos and Daley won't happend the same way Kos didn't give Rumble much of a chance. You might not like Kos at all but he is a smart fighter

[Trojan Fight Club]

I like Hazelett a lot. Cool dude, can't wait for his return. He's got ridiculous jiu jitsu so fix the hands and we've got a contender.