"I'm preparing for the best Karo that we've seen. In his last fight against Kim, his biggest thing had always been his conditioning was weak, but his grappling was always good and he is really strong. But his conditioning and endurance had always been his weak point and in his fight with Kim, he didn't look like he had got as tired as he normally does, so I think he's taking it more seriously now...I would imagine that he would try to throw me at some point and take me to the ground and not be afraid or tentative or anything else. That's kind of what I'm looking forward to because he is a really good grappler who has never been submitted before and I like a challenge. I'm really excited about this fight. I think it's going to be a really good fight," stated UFC welterweight contender Dustin Hazelett as he talked about his return to the Octagon after a long layoff to face Karo Parisyan at UFC 106. Check it out!
PC: How has everything been going Dustin?
DH: Everything has been going real good.
PC: You are coming off of a lengthy layoff because of a knee injury. How is the knee doing and what was the rehab process like?
DH: The rehab went really quick. I was ahead of schedule on everything and back to training in 5 months. The knee feels great. I couldn't have asked for a better surgery and rehab on it.
PC: You came out after the injury and said you were looking for an early 2010 return. Obviously you're fighting before that. Is that a reflection of how successful the surgery and rehab went?
DH: Yeah! I was expecting it to go a lot slower by all of the estimations of the doctors and the rehab facility. The knee felt really good, I felt like I could train, so they did some tests on it and stuff and it felt good. I started training and it felt fine, so I decided to come back earlier.
PC: Was it imperative to get an opponent that was facing a similar layoff? Karo hasn't been off for as long as you, but he has had a long layoff. Was that key or it really didn't matter who the opponent was for this fight?
DH: It really didn't matter to me. That's just who they wanted me to fight, but it really didn't matter. I think it's a real good matchup for me in my first fight back to have another grappler in front of me because you know that's my expertise to kind of fall back on. So I mean, I think it's a real good matchup for my first fight back.
PC: A lot of strikers can get away with knee injuries at times, but for wrestlers that shoot a lot and Jiu Jitsu practitioners that use their legs much like arms, it can be difficult. How important was it to have the knee hold up 100% for you to return?
DH: It's important that it holds up good. It's been holding up fine though. I can play rubber guard with it and everything. When I first came back, a lot of people that had had knee surgery told me the hardest thing to do is to stop babying it after the surgery, which is kind of true, but then, I was rolling and I saw an opening and pulled it over for an omoplata and it felt fine. I pulled it up to my chest and I figure if it held up for that, then it's pretty much solid.
PC: Are you going to be wearing a brace or do you not like to feel like you're still supporting it?
DH: I've been wearing like a supporter. I haven't been using a brace or anything. I may or may not use it in a fight; I'm not sure yet. But it doesn't really matter to me because the knee feels really good.
PC: A year layoff is a year off no matter how you look at it and I think you were coming off of your most impressive win against McCrory. Did you feel any rust once you were back in the gym and if so, how soon did it go away?
DH: I was really surprised at how well I came back and at how little I had lost when I came back. It didn't really...I was expecting it to be a lot worse than it really was, so I was pleasantly surprised. It really wasn't that bad. That's another reason why I feel more comfortable about fighting earlier than I had originally anticipated because I was allotting extra time to get back to where I was and it didn't really feel like I needed that time. When I came back, it felt natural. It didn't feel like I had had that long of a layoff, so I felt comfortable taking the fight.
PC: What are some of the things you started working on once you got back into the gym?
DH: I've been working on a lot of Muay Thai. In fact, I had been working on a lot of that before the McCrory fight. I didn't really get to show how much I had progressed in that fight because he kind of switched up the strategy a lot on us; really good on his part. But every fight we had watched on him, he just rushed in recklessly and when I fought him, he fought differently. He stayed at length and he stayed out of the clinch and I had been working on a lot of that, so it kind of messed with me a little bit. I had to make adjustments on the fly, but I think in this fight, you will see the improvements in my standup.
PC: Karo has been taking some heat, no pun intended, for some of his recent performances. What do you think of him as a fighter and what type of fight are you expecting from him?
DH: I'm preparing for the best Karo that we've seen. In his last fight against Kim, his biggest thing had always been his conditioning was weak, but his grappling was always good and he is really strong. But his conditioning and endurance had always been his weak point and in his fight with Kim, he didn't look like he had got as tired as he normally does, so I think he's taking it more seriously now. with almost a year layoff for him, that would give him a lot of time to work on stuff that he needed to work on, so I'm assuming he was using his time off like I used mine and that's to come back better and stronger and that's what I'm preparing for.
PC: Karo is known for using his Judo throws, but it's always dangerous to throw a guy with good Jits because it puts you in your comfort zone, which is on the ground. Do you think he will avoid using his throws and try to keep this one standing?
DH: I would expect him to use them. I don't think he will be afraid of me on the ground or anything. Obviously he's been on the ground with some of the best in the sport. I wouldn't imagine he would be afraid to go to the ground with me or anything like that. Kim is very good and he was throwing Kim and Kim's probably much better than me at Judo. I would imagine that he would try to throw me at some point and take me to the ground and not be afraid or tentative or anything else. That's kind of what I'm looking forward to because he is a really good grappler who has never been submitted before and I like a challenge. I'm really excited about this fight. I think it's going to be a really good fight.
PC: I know at one point, your goal was to get as many "Submission of the Night" honors as you can and break the record. Is that still the goal and do you think you can be the first to submit Karo?
DH: I think it's possible and anybody can get caught. A lot of his fights, he's been put in submissions and he's been able to work his way out. The difference between finishing a submission and not finishing a submission on a guy that good is just the tiniest of details. Anything is possible and I believe I do have what it takes to submit him, but on the flip side of that, I believe he has the ability to fight off being submitted by me; it just depends on whether he makes a mistake or not or whether I make a mistake or not. That's the beauty of this sport is that once you reach that level, you could be caught by anybody or you can catch anybody in any given fight. That's one of the beautiful things about MMA.
PC: Your last loss in the UFC was to Josh Koscheck, which there is no shame in that, but we've seen a new Dustin Hazelett since that fight. What did you learn from that loss and what did you take away from that fight?
DH: I learned a lot from it. One of the things I learned...well, before I fought Koscheck, I was just worried about getting to the top of the division and winning the belt and stuff like that. After I lost to him, I realized that I didn't need to be so eager to get to the top. I really needed to spend the time in between fights working on my flaws and what I needed to work on more. So I started spending a lot of time working on my weaknesses than I had been spending before and I have a different mindset about it now. I also learned the importance of (laughing) not making mistakes and getting lazy and stuff. I think that all of that will come in handy for this fight.
PC: I know most fighters don't worry about stuff like this, but is it any different for you that the card took a hit with Lesnar being forced to withdraw? Your fight may be bumped up, but does that matter to you at all?
DH: It doesn't matter to me. Whether I'm fighting in front of nobody or in front of everybody, it doesn't matter to me. When it's time to fight and they dim the lights outside of the cage, alls I see is my opponent. So we could be in an empty warehouse with nobody but the referee watching; it really doesn't make a difference. Obviously it's much better to be in front of more people I feel, but I would fight no matter where I was. It doesn't matter.
PC: It's been a long time since we've last seen you fight. What would be the perfect ending for you in your comeback fight against Parisyan?
DH: Just to win, either by knockout or submission. I'm not a big fan of going the distance. I like to finish fights. With a guy like Karo, who has only been finished once in his career, if I could knock him out or submit him, that would be spectacular for me.
PC: It's great to have you back man. I truly think you will be one of the guys to bring ground fighting back. Good luck against The Heat. Is there anything you want to say in closing?
DH: I think we pretty much covered it. Thanks!
[ Follow Percy Crawford on Twitter @MrLouis1ana ]