Is Karo Parisyan Really Ready To Be Back In The Octagon?

Added on Nov 16, 2010 by John Petit in

UFC & MMA

Karo Parisyan is coming back to the UFC this weekend at UFC 123 to fight Dennis Hallman. I want to preface this all with I was a HUGE Karo Parisyan fan. Few people have the Judo he has in the world, let alone in the UFC or MMA. His uchi matas are the best in the game, and if you clinch with Parisyan the wrong way, you can expect to go for a ride and end up landing on your head. The people with judo skills in MMA just do not know how to apply it the way Karo can. One minute you are pressing him against the fence, and the next minute he is rag dolling you and moving to mount. Three places I don’t want to be: 1. At the end of the Cain Velásquez’s punches, 2. In Febricio Werdum’s guard, and 3. Clinching with Karo Parisyan.

That said, Karo Parisyan shouldn’t be fighting anywhere, let alone in the UFC. He has done nothing but prove over and over again that he can not take the pressure of prize fighting. This started back at UFC 88 when he was supposed to fight Yoshiyuki Yoshida, and he was forced to pull out with a back injury. After recovering from the injury he fought Kim Dong-Hyun, and barely beat him in a split decision that was at the least controversial. After the fight, he tested positive for painkillers, and was suspended. Later that year, at the hearing, his win was changed to a no contest. He served his suspension and was given the opportunity to fight Dustin Hazelett at UFC 106. The day before the weigh ins he with drew from the fight with a myriad of excuses, and prompted Dana White to post on his twitter that he would never be fighting in the UFC again. He said it was due to anxiety, but White also said that he had a whole list of excuses. Later that day, Neil Melanson, a longtime friend and training partner of Parisyan’s, divulged to Five Ounces Of Pain that Parisyan has been battling an addiction to painkillers dating back to an injury suffered while training for a fight.

Karo was released from the UFC, and immediately went to the media saying he needed to get back in the cage as soon as he could. Karo took 6 or 7 months off, and then fought an unknown fighter named Ben Mortimer, who he beat. Now Karo is back in the UFC to fight Dennis Hallman who’s claim to fame is 2 wins over Matt Hughes in a combined time of 40 seconds.

Karo has the ability to beat a lot of people, and although I haven’t broke down the fight yet, I think he can beat Hallman. This is not the issue I have with Karo. Karo has a real problem, and he has virtually ignored it. He has an addiction that might be hidden right now, but I can promise you it will show its head eventually. What I wanted to hear from Karo when he was released form the UFC was, “I have an issue with pain pills, I need to take some time off, and get it set straight-then I will be back fighting.” What we heard was Karo in the media saying “No its not pain pills, its anxiety, and I need to fight as soon as possible.”

He did an interview with then Sports Illustrated writer, and now ESPN writer, Josh Gross about everything that was going on. It was full of all the stereotypical behavior you would expect from an addict. He doesn’t need to fight, I am sure dozens of camps would bring him in to instruct their fighters in judo.

I really hope Karo does well, and I can’t emphasize enough how big of a Karo fan I am, but he needs to get these issues addressed to be a complete fighter. I won’t say the UFC is enabling him by giving him a fight, but I do wish they would have put a lot more distance between him being let go and letting him back.