First up in our five-fight preview of the UFC 106 main card, Armenian Judo fighter and long-time UFC veteran Karo "The Heat" Parisyan (18-5, 7-2 (1 NC) UFC) will take on the dynamic Brazilian jiu-jitsu wizardry of Dustin "McLovin" Hazelett (12-4, 5-2 UFC) in a welterweight match-up that will kick off the live pay-per-view portion of the event. Parisyan enters the contest following a positive test for banned painkillers after a very close split decision victory over Dong Hyun Kim at UFC 94. The fight was ruled a no-contest due to the positive result, and Parisyan was banned from competition for nine months. Hazelett comes into this fight riding a two-fight win streak which included two Submission of the Night honors and a Fight of the Night honor for submission victories over Josh Burkman and Tamdan McCrory at The Ultimate Fighter Season 7 Finale and UFC 91 respectively. A knee injury kept Hazelett off the shelf for a year, and this will be his first fight back in the Octagon following a full recovery.

Karo Parisyan is considered to be the first fighter who was able to successfully transition traditional Judo to the no-gi environment of the Octagon, and he's managed to put Judo throws on the map as a tactic that is wildly entertaining to fans everywhere. His black belt level skills in the nineteenth century Japanese martial art have become a true staple to his success in the UFC, but many fans are on the fence about Karo Parisyan as an entertaining fighter due to his substantial amount of decision victories. Only one of his 10 total career fights in the UFC has ended via strikes.

Hazelett brings an entirely different set of skills to the Octagon that is slowly becoming a selling point for him in terms of entertainment. While most casual fans want to see highlight reel knockouts, Hazelett is building up an impressive array of inventive submission victories that have added a small amount of appeal to Hazelett's name. His submission win over Josh Burkman was honored with Submission of the Night honors, but it was also considered one of the top submissions of the year. The omoplata to inverted armbar submission against Tamdan McCrory wasn't as impressive, but it was equally as creative. He'll bring that same slick jiu-jitsu pedigree to this showdown against "The Heat".

Karo will probably want to stand and trade with Hazelett while Hazelett will look for an opening to submit Parisyan during the scramble or off his back. I can't imagine that Karo will be in a rush to use his judo throws to gain side control on the bottom against Hazelett's jiu-jitsu game, but he doesn't have the most precise striking game in the division either. Hazelett also isn't a strong striker, but he did show flashes of improvement in his bout with Josh Koscheck at UFC 82.

A lot of fans have went back to the fact that Jorge Gurgel's black belts don't mean much in the sport of mixed martial arts, but Dustin Hazelett has transitioned those skills to MMA brilliantly. I don't think anyone should be focusing on where Hazelett's credentials come from, but rather on the fact that Karo Parisyan has faced some very good grapplers in the past and never succumbed to submission.

The difference, however, is that many of those grapplers weren't dynamic offensive weapons like Hazelett has shown during scrambles and on his back. Other BJJ fighters methodically move to defend and gain the feet while Hazelett has shown the ability to become offensive off his back by using submission techniques that aren't easily duplicated in training.

Pick your horse, fans. Both men are almost deadlocked in the betting world, and their styles could make for an interesting fight if Karo puts Hazelett on his back. Karo won't be able to hang around in Hazelett's guard like he has done in past fights, but Hazelett probably won't want to be peppered in the stand-up game unless he's improved significantly. Ring rust will be a factor for both fighters as well, but Karo should have the edge in that department.

My gut tells me that Karo should win another decision by avoiding submissions and damaging Hazelett, but it's hard not to pick Hazelett here. Hazelett's submission techniques are a joy to watch, and Karo isn't.