MMA Gospel Radio (MGR): We are excited to have you on the show. You are on of the biggest up and coming fighters right now. Everyone is talking about Dustin Hazelett. You earned your black belt under Jorge Gurgel, you have three submission of the night honors. People see you as a jiu jitsu guy. Tell me about your stand up game because I know you have been working on it.

Dustin Hazelett (DH): I have been working really hard on my stand up for a long time. I have been helped out a lot by my thai coach Dorian Price who is an excellent coach. Also he is built a lot like me so I can utilize alot of the same moves, tricks and tools that he uses. It has been a huge help. I have been looking forward to fighting since I have been working so hard on it for so long and putting so much hard work into it. I am looking forward to kind of showing it off.

MGR: We talked about your submission game. You are being touted as having one of the best submission games in MMA. How does it feel to be compared to guys like Demian Maia and Jacare?

DH: It is awesome to be compared to people like that because they are obviously so great at jiu jitsu and I really don’t think of myself like that so it is cool to see other people think of me like that.

MGR: I asked our previous guest Luke (Zachrich) a similar question, having earned your black belt under Jorge, I know it frustrates me, I know Jorge and it frustrates me watching him fight at times knowing he is going against his strong point. Is it frustrating for you as well?

DH: You mean to watch him stand there and brawl instead of using his jiu jitsu?

MGR: Exactly!

DH: (laugh) Yeah, it’s kind of frustrating but I have talked to him about it a couple times at length. He says he just has fun standing and MMA is one of those things that you can’t get into for the wrong reasons. You can’t get into it if you don’t love doing it. I am a firm believer in that and you should have fun doing it. If you have fun standing and brawling then I guess you should stand and brawl.

MGR: I guess so. Honestly, I scream at the TV when I watch Jorge fight sometimes.

DH: You and me both (laugh)

MGR: Getting back to you, you hold wins over Josh Burkman, Tamdan McCrory. Of those two who do you feel was the most difficult opponent for you?

DH: I would say Burkmann was the more difficult opponent for me. It is tough to say. I caught Tamdan off guard with that head kick and when we hit the ground I believe he was barely conscious so that made my job a lot easier catching the submission

MGR: I watched your fight with Josh Koscheck. I thought for sure you were going to take that fight, it looked like you got clipped on the back of ear. You were doing well with your distance in the fight, moving well. How important is it for you to get that fight again, I know it was a big fight for you.

DH: Obviously I would like a rematch with him but it is not one of my top priorities. I am looking no further than Paul Daley. That is my main priority and I am not looking past that right now

MGR: You mentioned Paul, he is your next opponent at UFC 108. Everyone knows Paul is a striker, the guy has heavy hands. They call him Semtex for a reason. I personally thought in his last fight with Martin (Kampmann) Martin made the mistake of not taking the fight to the ground. Can you scout Daley for us from what you have seen thus far?

DH: I think you pretty much summed it up. He is a great striker. I think his ground game is a weaker point.

MGR: I am looking forward to this fight but all the fans I talked to wanted you to fight Karo Paryisian in the jiu jitsu versus judo battle. Karo seemed to be disrespecting jiu jitsu a little bit. I know he has some personal issues but do you hold a grudge against him?

DH: No I don’t hold any grudges against him. Obviously the things he said about jiu jitsu and eating jiu jitsu guys for breakfast upset me but at the end of the day there are more important things than fighting and he has some of those to deal with. When I found out I was obviously very disappointed and shocked but I was not as upset as I thought I would be. It is fully because and believe in God’s plan. You never know when something like that is happening why it is happening but I believe that if you continue to have faith then good things will come out of it. Now I have this fight with Daley that is the co-main event so I think good things will come of it.

MGR: I have always been a fan Dustin and I guess I was screaming Dustin Hazelett before most knew who Dustin Hazelett was so I am looking forward to you getting to make your mark at UFC 108. My co -host Gary wanted to know what is more exhausting for you when training, striking or jiu jistu?

DH: I am starting to get more comfortable with my striking now so I am not getting as tired doing it now but in the past it had been the striking.

MGR: Let’s step away from fighting for a second. I know you used to be social networking sites like MySpace. It seems like you have dropped away from those. Is there a reason you have gotten away from them while so many fighters are using them to promote themselves these days?

DH: I am not a big fan of hyping up fights or anything like that. I am more of a shy person, not a people person. I have never been a people person, never been overly charismatic or good with large groups of people or anything. My whole life I have been the outcast, never talked to a lot of people and I kind of gotten used to that throughout the course of my life. Once I started getting a little famous everybody wanted to talk to me and it is very odd for me. I feel like all that stuff promoting the fights and stuff, all the smack talking I am firmly against. I feel your previous fights should hype up your next fight. If your last fights aren’t good enough to hype up the next fight then you should be put back on the  under card until you get more exciting fights. That is kind of where I stand on that. Basically all I do all day is train, play video games and read. That is about it.

MGR: One of the listeners in our live chat, Cageside Chat, wanted to know what kind of beard you would be rocking at UFC 108?

DH: I am not sure. I kind of wing it. I go by how I feel and right now I have the thick beard. I don’t strategically plan it out. MGR: So it is not part of your training camp to grow the beard out?

DH: No,actually a lot of times I end up having to trim it because it gets to long and starts getting caught and it is very unpleasant having pieces of your beard ripped out.

MGR: Not looking past Daley, where would you like to be in this sport in two years?

DH: The obvious answer to that would to be the champion, ultimately that is my goal. That is why I got in to this. If I did not believe I had what it took to be a champion then I probably wouldn’t be doing this because just fighting around and losing fights and never making it to the top doesn’t sound very appealing to me. I firmly believe I have the ability to become a champion someday so that is my goal.

MGR: My co-host Gary wanted to know, since you mentioned you like to read, what have you been reading recently?

DH: Recently I have been trying to read the bible cover to cover. I have always wanted to do it, I grew up in church and stuff and I am a christian. I have never actually read the bible cover to cover. I have read a lot of excerpts. Right now I am working on that and it is a massive undertaking. I still read other books on the side to take a break from it. Just today I was reading “As A Man Thinketh” I am really into psychology. I believe the stronger I can make my mind the better fighter I will be so I read a lot of psychology books.

MGR: IF you get a title shot what do you feel it would take to beat GSP? Do you see something you could exploit?

DH: I feel I match up better against St. Pierre than many of the fighters in the division right now because his wrestling is so good. The welterweight division is so wrestler heavy. There are a lot of great wrestlers like Koscheck, Fitch and that is to just name a couple. None of them can take him down and when they get put on their backs, most grapplers are better top guys. I am one of the better guys off their back with jiu jitsu in mma. I think that gives me a distinct advantage over the other challengers to the title, that is to be able to fight off my back.

MGR: I wish you the best of the luck. I am a big fan. Maybe you will get another sub of the night at UFC 108. Any sponsors you would like thank before we let you go?

DH: I would just really like to thank everybody at JG MMA Academy for helping me out. It is tough training through Christmas and the holidays. It is good to have the support of my team there. Also Ecko.

Top welterweight contender “Pitbull” Thiago Alves (16-3) easily beat fourth-ranked Josh Koscheck (11-3) by unanimous decision. Scores were 30-27 twice and 29-28 once.

Fourth-ranked heavyweight “Vai Cavalo” Fabricio Werdum (11-4-1) was devastated by fellow Brazilian, but virtual unknown “Cigano” Junior dos Santos (7-1) via first-round TKO at 1:21.

Fifth-ranked lightweight “Muscle Shark” Sean Sherk (33-3-1) won a unanimous decision over Tyson Griffin (12-2) by judges’ scores of 29-28 twice and 30-27 once.

Thales Leites (14-1), “Bully” Gray Maynard (6-0), “King” Spencer Fisher (22-4), Dan Miller (10-1), “Drago” Pete Sell (8-4), and Hermes Franca (19-7) were all winners inside the Octagon.

Silva Wins Via Cote Injury

Fighters.com’s Middleweight Champion “Spider” Anderson Silva (23-4) won by TKO when “Predator” Patrick Cote‘s (13-5) knee popped at 39 seconds of round three.

It was an odd conclusion to Silva’s longest fight since 2004. At the beginning of round three, Cote was visibly excited to make it further than any of Silva’s previous UFC opponents, but, 39 seconds later, he was on the mat holding his knee and grimmacing in pain.

“It’s an old injury,” Cote explained. “I busted my knee in the second round and I tried to come back in the third and my knee just popped out.” Cote added, “I’m so sorry.”

Silva said, “I came here to fight. Patrick came here to fight. He was exchanging. It was a fine fight, but unfortunately he got hurt.”

In fact, in round one, it didn’t seem as Silva came to fight as he circled Cote for two full minutes before slapping a low kick to Cote’s thigh. Cote scored with a body kick; but, Silva followed-up with a knee that split Cote over his right eye.

In a bit of showboating, Silva actually offered to help Cote off the mat in round two. Cote had pulled guard and landed elbows from the mat before Silva stood out of Cote’s guard and extended his hand.

Silva landed elbows and knees more frequently in the second round.

The third round and, really, the fight had barely began when Cote’s knee gave and ended the night.

Silva is probably on his way to a 205-pound match-up at UFC 92 in Las Vegas 27 December.

Alves Easily Defeats Koscheck

Top welterweight contender “Pitbull” Thiago Alves (16-3) easily beat fourth-ranked Josh Koscheck (11-3) by unanimous decision. Scores were 30-27 twice and 29-28 once.

With the win, Alves should cement himself into the UFC’s top contender spot to fight the winner between Welterweight Champion “Rush” Georges St. Pierre (17-2) and Ligthweight Champion “Prodigy” B.J. Penn (13-4-1); though, UFC President Dana White has already begun floating a St. Pierre versus Silva match-up if St. Pierre wins.

Alves hammered Koscheck’s legs to mush over three rounds. By the third round, Koscheck was wobbly and vulnerable to a Superman punch.

Throughout the fight, Koscheck answered Alves’s aggressive striking consistently; but, Alves’s strikes added up, earning him the decision.

“Cigano” Crumbles Werdum

Fourth-ranked heavyweight “Vai Cavalo” Fabricio Werdum (11-4-1) was devastated by fellow Brazilian “Cigano” Junior dos Santos (7-1) via first-round TKO at 1:21.

“I knew that once my hand would get in there and hit him, I could knock him out,” explained dos Santos after the fight. “I just waited for the right time and I put my fist in his face.”

Werdum crumbled at the end of a “Cigano” right uppercut; and, dos Santos followed-up with several shots as Werdum lay on the mat.

“The uppercut is one of my best punches,” dos Santos added. “Once I hit him with a couple of jabs I knew that he always dropped his head.”

“Cigano”, a pupil of second-ranked “Minotauro” Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (31-4-1) was making his UFC debut.

Werdum had been guaranteed a title shot with a victory.

Sherks Wins First in 15 Months

Fifth-ranked lightweight “Muscle Shark” Sean Sherk (33-3-1) won a unanimous decision over Tyson Griffin (12-2) by judges’ scores of 29-28 twice and 30-27 once.

“This is the first win I’ve had in 15 months, believe it or not,” Sherk said after he dominated the young talent most of the fight. “I definitely want to get back out there and get a shot at that belt.”

Sherk took Griffin’s back twice in the first round, once after taking Griffin down and another transitioning from a Griffin takedown attempt. Griffin defended both times.

In the second round, Sherk countered Griffin’s leg kicks with jabs and Griffin’s punches to the body with left hooks.

“People really do underestimate my hands,” explained Sherk.

Griffin landed punches more frequently in round three; but, Sherk often answered him with his own punches.

“He rocked me a few times,” Sherk admitted. “The kid hits hard. The kid’s really aggressive. He’s 24-years old, he’s not going anywhere.”

After winning, Sherk emphasized, “I want to be a two-time UFC champion.”

Leites Quick To Tap McFedries

UFC middleweight contender Thales Leites (14-1) wasted no time tapping “Massacre” Andrew McFedries (7-5) in a rear naked choke.

Leites took down McFedries quickly; and, McFedries rolled to his stomach to escape. Leites hopped on McFedries’s back and wrapped up the choke at 1:18 of the first round.

Maynard Takes Decision Over Clementi

Lightweight “Bully” Gray Maynard (6-0) remained undefeated after a unanimous decision over “No Love” Rich Clementi (32-13-1) by judges’ scores of 30-27 three times.

“He’s a vet, man; and, I could tell,” Maynard said after the fight. “So, I was like, ‘Alright. Let’s try the takedown.’”

Maynard slammed Clementi in every round.

Maynard said, “He’s crafty! Like, tied me up, like, at all times. He would just keep close and keep it tied up.”

Neither fighter did much damage on the mat. In the second round Maynard locked up a guillotine; but, Clementi freed himself and attempted an armbar moments later.

Maynard spent most of the third round controlling the fight from the top position.

“King” Fisher Taps Gugerty

“King” Spencer Fisher (22-4) tapped lightweight Shannon Gugerty (11-3) in a triangle choke at 3:56 of round three.

Gugerty wrestled Fisher down in the third and landed inside Fisher’s guard, from which Fisher applied the choke and forced the tap.

Fisher had dominated the fight with aggressive striking and work in the clinch; but, Gugerty nearly caught Fisher in a guillotine choke in round two.

Miller Wins Again, UD Over Fellow Ex-IFLer Horwich

In his Octagon sequel, middleweight Dan Miller (10-1) spoiled fellow former IFL fighter “Suave” Matt Horwich‘s (22-11-1) UFC debut in a unanimous decision by judges’ scores of 29-28 three times.

Miller opened each round with a takedown of Horwich, but got swept and nearly tapped in a rear naked choke in round two. Miller defended the choke and Horwich had to settle for landing shot from the mount as the round ended.

However, in rounds one and three, Miller controlled position and landed shots from the top position to pick up his second UFC “W”.

Sell Wins First in Octagon Since 2005

Welterweight “Drago” Pete Sell (8-4) served “The People’s Warrior” Josh Burkman (18-8) his third consecutive loss in a unanimous decision by judges’ scores of 29-28 three times.

After losing the first round to Burkman on the mat, Sell tagged Burkman to the body repeatedly in rounds two and three. After softening Burkman up, Sell took Burkman to the mat and ended the fight latching a guillotine choke around Burkman’s neck. Burkman defended the choke to the final bell.

The win is Sell’s first in the Octagon since February 2005.

Franca Dispatches Former Training Partner Aurelio

Lightweight Hermes Franca (19-7) won a unanimous decision over “Maximus” Marcus Aurelio (16-7) by judges scores of 29-28 twice and 30-27 once.

Unfortunately, little of the bitterness between the two former training partners motivated them between the first and final bell; though, Franca pushed Aurelio inside the Octagon before the fight; and, Aurelio refused to shake hands with Franca after the fight.

Franca won the judges’ favors by consistently landing a leg kick throughout the three largely uneventful rounds.

Sell’s coach, Fighters.com’s sixth-ranked welterweight “Terror” Matt Serra (9-5), broke the news in an interview with TriStateFighter posted Wednesday.

“Drago” hopes to rebound from three consecutive losses.  His last fight was against “Rock” Nathan Quarry (10-2), who KO’d him last September.

Team Quest’s Burkman is coming off two losses, most recently to “McLovin” Dustin Hazelett (11-4) via second-round armbar in June’s TUF 7 Finale.

The future shines brilliantly for The Ultimate Fighter’s newest blast into the mainstream consciousness, Amir Sadollah (1-0).

In his professional debut, Sadollah tapped “Doberman” CB Dollaway (6-1) in an armbar at 3:02 of round one to win the seventh season of the popular SpikeTV reality show contest.

“Nightmare” Diego Sanchez (19-2), one of the two original Ultimate Fighters, looked physically fitter than ever in his third-round TKO of American Top Team’s Luigi Fioravanti (12-4) at 4:07.

After back-to-back “embarrasing” losses, “Spyder” Kendall Grove (9-5), TUF 3 champion, recaptured past glory in a three-round split decision over former UFC titlist Evan Tanner (32-8).

The likeable young TUF walk-on from Virginia, Sadollah, versus the cocky All-American favorite, Dollaway, was a rematch of an exhibition fight fought on the final episode of last season’s The Ultimate Fighter.

Saturday’s finish was almost a replay of that fight’s end.

But, unlike the first fight, Dollaway made haste taking the samboist to his back and pounding him, opening a shallow cut on Sadollah’s forehead.

Sadollah flailed for position, eventually sucking up the “Doberman’s” left paw and swinging his legs over Dollaway’s head to secure the armbar.

Dollaway stood and remained standing as Sadollah worked the technique.

Finally, Dollaway ended the fight with a single tap causing referee Herb Dean to step in.

Sadollah leapt to his feet and threw his arms in the air.

Dollaway threw his hands out to his sides, complaining about the stoppage; but, replays clearly showed Dollaway tapping.

And, as “Kimbo Slice” Kevin Ferguson (3-0) famously said, Dollaway exhibited in his immature and ridiculous post-fight protest: “Tapping is for bitches.”

“Nightmare” Sanchez showed off a leaner physique and tighter striking game versus a pudgy and lethargic Fioravanti.

In his southpaw stance, Sanchez stalked with his right lead extended and left fist cocked, both of which he used to tag Fiorivanti, who was hesitant to engage on his feet or on the mat.

When Sanchez was able to down Fioravanti, “Nightmare’s” trademark G’n'P dominated.

But, it was Sanchez’s refurbed striking game, highlighted by a roundhouse kick, that won the fight.

In the third round, Sanchez snapped a left kick to Fioravanti’s head, sending Fioravanti backpedaling.  Sanchez followed with a flying knee flush to Fioravanti’s jaw before pounding out the stoppage with his fists.

It was do or die for both Grove and Tanner in the main event, both fighters coming off of knockout losses and at career lows.

However, 6’6″ Grove was just too physical for the former champion, Tanner.

At range, Grove launched long rights that split Tanner’s guard.

But, most of the fight was fought in the clinch, with Tanner, sporting a full beard, resembling a homeless mugger assaulting the Hawaiian for change.

Grove laid on Tanner, wearing Tanner down, while Grove split open Tanner’s head with elbows and peppered Tanner’s body with knees.

The judges ruled it a split decision “W” for Grove by scores of 30-26 twice for Grove and 29-28 once for Tanner; but, Al Lefkowitz, who scored the fight for Tanner, couldn’t have even been in the arena.

Fighters.com scored it 30-27 for Grove.

On the undercard, “McLovin” Dustin Hazelett (11-4) tapped “People’s Champion” Josh Burkman (9-6) in an armbar at 4:46 of round two.

Hazelett won “Submission of the Night”.

Lightweight brawler “King” Spencer Fisher (21-4) ground out a unanimous decision over fellow Iowan Jeremy Stephens (13-3).

TUF 7 contestant Matt Riddle (1-0) won his pro debut with a unanimous decision over Dante Rivera (10-3).

Middleweight Andrew McFedries (7-3) overwhelmed “Beastman” Marvin Eastman (15-8-1) from the bell to score a quick TKO at 1:08 of round one.

In a rematch from 2006, TUF 7 contestant Matt Brown (7-6) TKO’d TUF 6 “No Regard” Matt Arroyo (3-2) at 3:40 of round two.

Veteran “Boogieman” Dean Lister (11-5) submitted über-veteran “Gumby” Jeremy Horn (79-18-5) in a first-round guillotine choke at 3:52.

Similarly, Rob Kimmons (21-3) tapped Rob Yundt (6-2) in a first-round guillotine choke at 3:58.

But, in the second round, Hazelett was rattled by a Kos overhand and eventually TKO’d in a flurry.

But, “McLovin’” has a sense of humor about it.

He invited Fighters.com to Jorge Gurgel‘s (12-3) Martial Arts Academy in West Chester, north of Cincinnati, to observe his training for his fight Saturday in Las Vegas versus “The People’s Champion” Josh Burkman (9-5).

After training, Hazelett pulled his mouthpiece from his mouth and said, “Koscheck must not have read this.”

After training, Hazelett talked about his return to the Octagon versus Burkman and his career in the UFC.

Hazelett spent several rounds of light sparring inside the cage, including a round with Fighters.com’s second-ranked middleweight “Ace” Rich Franklin (23-3), who’s running Hazelett’s training camp and will corner the welterweight.