(Photo:Sherdog.com)

Dustin Hazelett is no joke in the Octagon.  The underrated Ohio native made a big impression in his most recent fight, even though he left with a loss against the ever improving Josh Koscheck. Hazelett has been making an impression quietly for over a year, originally as a gangly Lightweight on a 6′1″ frame, showing great potential and skill that is camouflaged by an unassuming appearance.

In his battle against Koscheck, Hazelett showed that potential to the world, letting it all hang out in a blitz of a battle against the top seeded Welterweight prospect.  For a lot of people who hadn’t taken notice of Hazelett, the performance would have woken them up in a hurry.  Both fighters displayed some solid and aggressive striking, and although Hazelett hurt Koscheck, he failed to finish him off.  Koscheck was more efficient and after clipping Hazlett early in the second with a head kick , he made certain to finish the job.

In an interview from The Fight Network, Hazelett commented on a missed opportunity to make a big step up the Welterweight ladder;

“I had an answer for everything he threw at me, and for whatever reason, in the second round, I came out pawing with my jab. I knew I couldn’t do that with a guy who comes over the top [with his punches] like Koscheck does, and he clipped me.”

Commenting on his state of mind following the defeat, Hazelett explained,

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In a recent post by Sam Caplan at Fiveouncesofpain.com, it appears that the UFC has announced it’s decision to suspend Renato “Babalu” Sobral’s current contract.? The news is fallout from Babalu’s most recent fight on Aug. 25th (UFC 74) where he admitted to intentionally holding a choke on his opponent David Heath after he knew the fighter had tapped.

Criticism regarding Sobral’s actions was widespread in the media and among fighters, so it is no surprise that the UFC would take some action in addition to the cash penalty imposed by the NSAC while the fight was under review.? This is not the first time that a fighter has held a choke longer than what seemed appropriate, or that a fighter was struck several times after clearly losing consciousness… but it is the first time that a fighter has made the mistake of admitting intention in the aftermath.

?The post continues to state that the UFC was not washing their hands of Sobral forever, which is probably a good move, as he is, in my opinion, a talented fighter who simply made a (really) bad decision.? Hopefully this public ostracising will lead to a period of intense introspection and new found focus for Babalu…. or at the very least, let’s hope he learns how to tell a lie.