Name Karo Parisyan
Nickname The Heat
Association [[Jackson’s Submission Fighting]]
Weight Class Welterweight (170 lbs.)
Height 5′ 10″ (178 cm)
Style Judo
Birth Date August 28, 1982
Fighting Out Of North Hollywood, California
Country USA / Armenia
Karo Parisyan Pictures Official Website

”’Karapet Parisyan”’ is an Armenian American mixed martial artist. His fighting style is primarily Judo but has been modified to fight without the use of a judogi (sometimes called no-gi style). Karo competed for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) in their Welterweight division, until he was let go after withdrawing from two-straight scheduled bouts only days before the fights. After one fight outside of the promotion, he was asked back to compete in the UFC.

His cousin, Manvel Gamburyan, is also a MMA fighter, and appeared on The Ultimate Fighter 5.

== Professional Record ==

Record 20 – 9 – 0 (Win â€Â“ Loss â€Â“ Draw) (1 NC)
Wins 0 (T)KOs
10 Submissions
10 Decisions
Losses 4 (T)KOs
1 Submissions
4 Decisions
Result Opponent Method Event Title Date Round Time Notes
Loss John Gunderson Submission (Guillotine Choke) ShoFight ShoFight 20 6/16/2012 1 2:47 For ShoFight Welterweight Championship (Vacant)
Win Thomas Denny Decision (Unanimous) WMMA 1 McCorkle vs Heden 3/31/2012 3 5:00
Loss Jordan Smith Decision (Split) AFC Amazon Forest Combat 1 9/14/2011 3 5:00
Loss Ryan Ford TKO (Doctor Stoppage) Jones Entertainment Group: MMA Live 1 5/19/2011 3 1:26
Loss Dennis Hallman TKO (Punches) UFC 123 Rampage vs Machida 11/20/2010 1 1:47
Win Ben Mortimer Submission (Rear Naked Choke) [[Impact FC 1 – The Uprising: Brisbane]] 7/10/2010 2 4:18
NC Dong Hyun Kim No Decision (Overturned by NSAC) [[UFC 94 St. Pierre vs Penn 2]] 1/31/2009 3 5:00 Original a win via Split Decision for Parisyan; overturned after Parisyan tests positive for banned painkillers in post-fight drug test
Loss Thiago Alves TKO (Knee and Punches) UFC Fight Night 13 Florian vs Lauzon 4/02/2008 2 0:34
Win Ryo Chonan Decision (Unanimous) UFC 78 Validation 11/17/2007 3 5:00
Win Josh Burkman Decision (Unanimous) UFC 71 Liddell vs Jackson 5/26/2007 3 5:00
Win Drew Fickett Decision (Unanimous) UFC Fight Night 7 Sanchez vs Riggs 12/13/2006 3 5:00 Won Fight of the Night Honors
Loss Diego Sanchez Decision (Unanimous) UFC Fight Night 6 Sanchez vs Parisyan 8/17/2006 3 5:00
Win Nick Thompson Submission (Punches) UFC 59 Reality Check 4/15/2006 1 4:44
Win Matt Serra Decision (Unanimous) UFC 53 Heavy Hitters 6/04/2005 3 5:00
Win Chris Lytle Decision (Unanimous) UFC 51 Super Saturday 2/5/2005 3 5:00
Win Nick Diaz Decision (Split) UFC 49 Unfinished Business 8/21/2004 3 5:00
Win Shonie Carter Decision (Unanimous) WEC 10 Bragging Rights 5/21/2004 3 5:00 Won WEC Welterweight Championship; Vacates title to focus on UFC career
Loss Georges.St. Pierre Decision (Unanimous) UFC 46 Supernatural 1/31/2004 3 5:00
Win Dave Strasser Submission (Kimura) UFC 44 Undisputed 9/26/2003 1 3:52 UFC debut
Win Fernando Vasconcelos Decision (Unanimous) KOTC 22: Steel Warriors 3/23/2003 3 5:00
Win Antonio McKee Decision (Unanimous) UAGF 3: Ultimate Cage Fighting 3 2/15/2003 3 5:00
Win Darrell Smith Submission (Armbar) RSF 3: Reality Submission Fighting 3 3/30/2001 1 0:59
Loss Sean Sherk TKO (Towel) RSF 2: Reality Submission Fighting 2 1/05/2001 1 16:20
Loss Sean Sherk Decision RSF 1: Reality Submission Fighting 1 10/06/2000 1 18:00
Win Guido Jennings Submission (Choke) KK 16: Kage Kombat 16 6/07/1999 1 6:33
Win Justin Bumphus Submission ESF: Empire One 5/15/1999 N/A N/A
Win Scott Davis Submission (Armbar) KK 14: Kage Kombat 14 4/05/1999 1 2:16
Win Jason Rittgers Submission (Armbar) KK 14: Kage Kombat 14 4/05/1999 1 1:58
Win Zach McKinney Submission (Armbar) KK 12: Kage Kombat 12 2/01/1999 1 0:23
Win Brian Warren Submission (Ankle Lock) KK 12: Kage Kombat 12 2/01/1999 1 0:44

== Biography ==
Karo’s family migrated to America when he was two years old. Parisyan started training in Judo when he was nine years old under fellow Armenian Gokor Chivichyan. Parisyan stated that his father began taking him to Judo lessons because he beat up on his sisters, and Judo would be an effective outlet for Parisyan to take out his anger. By age 10, Parisyan was training his Judo under both Chivichyan and “Judo” Gene LeBell. Parisyan later added Muay Thai training and managed to adapt his Judo skills to work in the absence of a judogi. He claims to be the first judo fighter to successfully do so for mixed martial arts.

=== Hayastan Grappling System ===
For more than thirteen years, Parisyan developed under the Hayastan Grappling System, a style blended by Gokor Chivichyan and “Judo” Gene LeBell, which includes adapted elements of Judo, Sambo, Catch Wrestling, Greco-Roman and Freestyle wrestling, Muay Thai, and Karate. Karo continued to train at the Hayastan Academy under Gokor and Gene until late 2005.

=== Judo ===
Karo is considered by many to be the best UFC fighter to have successfully adapted his Judo style to no-gi rules of the Octagon. He has six Junior National belts to his credit, and competed in the Olympic Judo trials ahead of the 2004 games in Athens.

== Mixed Martial Arts Career ==
Parisyan began competing as a welterweight and made his UFC debut on September 23, 2003, beating Dave Strasser by Kimura. He then went on to win the WEC welterweight title, defeating Shonie Carter. He was widely considered as the top contender for the UFC welterweight title before a loss to Diego Sanchez.

Parisyan lost via TKO to Thiago Alves at UFC Fight Night 13 Florian vs Lauzon in the second round. Alves showed good resistance against Karo’s grappling offence, and finished Karo with a knee from the clinch and strikes.

Karo was scheduled to fight Yoshiyuki Yoshida at UFC 88 Breakthrough, but a back injury forced him to drop out of the fight right before the weigh-ins.

After recovering from his back injury, the Armenian welterweight returned at UFC 94 on January 31 in Las Vegas against Dong Hyun Kim. Parisyan defeated Kim in a controversial split decision. Following the fight, Parisyan tested positive for banned painkillers hydrocodone, hydromorphone, and oxymorphone. Parisyan has stated that he has a prescription for the medications due to a severe back / hamstring injury.

Parisyan was suspended pending a full hearing in mid-March. On March 17, 2009, the NSAC suspended Parisyan for nine months and ruled his decision victory a “no contest.”

=== UFC 106 and Aftermath ===
Parisyan was expected to return at UFC 106 Ortiz vs Griffin II on November 21, 2009 against Dustin Hazelett, but only a few days out from the event, Parisyan said that he had failed to acquire a license in Nevada, forcing him off the card. According to Parisyan, it was due to not having the money to pay his fine from previously being suspended after testing positive for a three different pain killers following his UFC 94 bout with Dong Hyun Kim.

: “There’s a lot of problems going on. They won’t re-license me unless I (expletive) pay them,” said Parisyan. “I had to pay the $32,000 fine in order to fight. I never paid because I never had the money. I don’t know if I’ll be able to come back.”

UFC president Dana White posted on his twitter account, “Karo Parisyan has fucked over the UFC, the fans and his opponent again! He will not be fighting Saturday or ever again in the UFC!”

: “Everything is over bro. I’m just going to go home. Everything is fucked up. I’ve got to think about what I’m going to do for my career,” added 27-year old Parisyan. “I’ve got to think about what I want to do as far as fighting goes.”

This is the second time Parisyan has backed out of a UFC bout close to the event. He was scheduled to fight Yoshiyuki Yoshida at UFC 88 Breakthrough, but pulled out for an alleged back injury right before the weigh-ins. Parisyan was subsequently cut from the UFC.

When asked about about the situation, Keith Kizer, the Executive Director of the Nevada State Athletic Commission, said that those allegations stated by Parisyan were incorrect.

: “That has nothing to do with it,” said Kizer. “He was going to pay the fine out of this purse.”

Kizer said he had reached an agreement with Parisyan to take $16,000 from his $40,000 show purse for Saturday’s fight. If Parisyan won, an additional $16,000 would be taken from his win purse, which was also $40,000.

According to one of Parisyan’s close friends and trainers, Parisyan suffered from dependancy on pain medication, which was part of the problem with him competing.

=== Post-UFC Career ===
Parisyan attempted to come to some agreement with Strikeforce once he was released from the UFC, but they were unable to come to terms.

: “We had a cup of coffee,” Strikeforce President Scott Coker said. “It didn’t work out. “He’s a great kid. We wish him luck.”

Shortly after the announcement that Parisyan could not come to terms with Strikeforce, he announced that he would be returning to action at the inaugural show of Impact FC, an Australian based mixed martial arts promotion, where he will face off against [[Luis Dutra Jr.]]. Unfortunately Dutra was forced off the card because he separated his bicep, so Parisyan faced Ben Mortimer instead on July 10, 2010 at [[Impact FC 1 – The Uprising: Brisbane]]. He was supposed to be a co-headliner, but he asked to be the first fight on the card so he could get the fight over with, for his family.

: “This was my first fight that I was away from my family, and I knew they were freaking out at home,” Parisyan told Sherdog.com. “My sister was at home throwing up. I felt like it would be better for them, and for me, if I fought first, and I could get it over with so they could stop worrying.”

The promoter let it happen, and Parisyan went on to defeat his opponent with a Rear Naked Choke in the second round.

=== Return to UFC ===
Though Dana White made it clear that Parisyan would never compete in the UFC again, that was not the case, as it was learned in September 2010 that Parisyan would in fact return at UFC 123 to face off against Dennis Hallman.

== Ranks and Titles ==
* Grappling World Black Belt Judo International Champion
* Pan American Judo Silver Medalist
* Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu National Champion
* WEC Welterweight Champion