Dustin Hazelett drops to lightweight, meets Mark Bocek at UFC 124 in Montreal
After first toying with the idea, Dustin Hazelett (12-6 MMA, 5-4 UFC) apparently has decided to move from welterweight to lightweight.
Sources close to the event told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) "McLovin" has agreed to meet fellow jiu-jitsu specialist Mark Bocek (8-3 MMA, 4-3 UFC) at UFC 124. MMAWeekly.com first reported the matchup.
UFC 124 takes place Dec. 11 at the Bell Centre in Montreal and features a welterweight title bout between current champion Georges St-Pierre and Josh Koscheck.
It's unknown whether Hazelett vs. Bocek will make the pay-per-view portion of the Canadian event.
While Hazelett's submission wins have added several clips to the UFC's highlight reel, he's struggled mightily with striking in his most recent performances.
The Kentucky native ceded position on the welterweight ladder when he suffered a knockout loss to Paul Daley in the co-main event of January's UFC 108 event. The loss left him with a broken orbital that necessitated a long recovery process, and in an interview with MMAjunkie.com, he stressed he would take his time in returning to the cage.
That was not to be, though, when the UFC offered him a fight against Dan Hardy at UFC 120. After personal obligations nixed the October fight, he booked a meeting with Rick Story at UFC 117 this past month. More disappointment followed; Story stopped him in the fight's second frame with ferocious ground and pound.
The dual setbacks prompted Hazelett's longtime coach, Jorge Gurgel, to announce the move to lightweight shortly after the August loss.
Bocek, a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt, hit a snag in his rise up the division ranks after three consecutive rear-naked choke victories over Alvin Robinson, David Bielkheden and Joe Brammer. The Toronto resident most recently fought at UFC 111 in March and dropped a decision to the always-game Jim Miller.
For more on UFC 124, check out the UFC Rumors section of MMAjunkie.com.
