Karo Parisyan facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Karo Parisyan |
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|---|---|
| Born | August 28, 1982 Yerevan, Armenian SSR, Soviet Union (today Armenia) |
| Other names | The Heat |
| Nationality | Armenian American |
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (178 cm) |
| Weight | 169 lb (77 kg; 12 st 1 lb) |
| Division | Welterweight |
| Reach | 75.5 in (192 cm) |
| Style | Judo |
| Fighting out of | North Hollywood, California, U.S. |
| Team | Team Hayastan |
| Rank | Black Belt in Hayastan Grappling Black Belt in Judo |
| Years active | 1999–2017 |
| Mixed martial arts record | |
| Total | 37 |
| Wins | 24 |
| By knockout | 3 |
| By submission | 11 |
| By decision | 10 |
| Losses | 12 |
| By knockout | 7 |
| By submission | 1 |
| By decision | 4 |
| No contests | 1 |
| Other information | |
| Notable relatives | Manvel Gamburyan (cousin) |
Karo Parisyan (born August 28, 1982) is a former mixed martial artist from Armenia and America. He competed in the welterweight division. Karo was a professional MMA fighter from 1999 to 2017. He even held the WEC Welterweight Championship. He also fought in big organizations like the UFC and Bellator.
Contents
Karo's Early Life and Training
Karo Parisyan was born in Yerevan, which was then part of the Armenian SSR. When he was six years old, his family moved to America. Karo started learning judo when he was nine. His coach was another Armenian, Gokor Chivichyan. Karo said his dad wanted him to learn judo to help him control his energy. He also trained with Gene LeBell by the time he was ten.
Developing His Fighting Style
For over thirteen years, Karo trained in the Hayastan Grappling System. This system was created by his coaches, Gokor Chivichyan and Gene LeBell. It mixes different martial arts like judo, sambo, and various types of wrestling. Karo trained at the Hayastan Academy until late 2005. He later returned to the academy in 2012.
Karo's Judo Career
Karo was a very successful judo athlete. He won six national junior titles. He even tried out for the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens. Going to the Olympics was his big dream. He once said that mixed martial arts was just something he did when he was bored.
During the Olympic trials, the UFC called him and invited him to fight. He accepted because he needed money. After one fight, he hurt his ribs and decided to stop the Olympic trials.
Karo's Mixed Martial Arts Journey
Starting in the UFC
Karo Parisyan made his UFC debut on September 23, 2003. He won his first fight against Dave Strasser using a move called a kimura. In his next fight, he faced Georges St-Pierre. Karo lost this fight by a decision from the judges. However, he was the first fighter to last all three rounds against St-Pierre.
After that, Karo won the WEC welterweight title. He beat Shonie Carter to become champion. He then returned to the UFC and won several fights. He defeated tough opponents like Nick Diaz, Chris Lytle, and Matt Serra.
Challenges and Setbacks
Karo was supposed to fight for the UFC Welterweight title against Matt Hughes. But he got a hamstring injury and had to pull out of the fight. Joe Riggs took his place.
He later fought Nick Thompson at UFC 59. Karo won this fight in the first round.
His next big fight was against Diego Sanchez at UFC Fight Night 6. Karo lost this fight by a decision. However, their fight was so exciting that it was named the "Fight of the Year" in 2006 by the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
After losing to Sanchez, Karo won three fights in a row. He beat Drew Fickett, Josh Burkman, and Ryo Chonan. All these wins were by decision.
Later UFC Fights
Karo then lost to Thiago Alves at UFC Fight Night 13. Alves stopped the fight in the second round.
He was supposed to fight Yoshiyuki Yoshida at UFC 88. But Karo had a back injury and had to withdraw from the fight.
After recovering, Karo returned at UFC 94 in January 2009. He fought Dong Hyun Kim and won by a split decision. However, after the fight, it was found that Karo had used certain medications that were not allowed. Because of this, his win was changed to a "no contest," meaning it didn't count. He was also suspended for nine months.
Karo was scheduled to fight Dustin Hazelett at UFC 106. But he pulled out of this fight too. UFC President Dana White said that Karo would not fight in the UFC again.
Fighting Outside the UFC
After leaving the UFC, Karo looked for other places to fight. He fought for Impact FC 1 on July 10, 2010. He won this fight against Ben Mortimer by a rear-naked choke in the second round.
Returning to the UFC (Briefly)
On September 2, 2010, it was announced that Karo would return to the UFC. He fought Dennis Hallman at UFC 123 in November. Hallman won the fight in the first round. After this fight, UFC President Dana White said he believed Karo was done fighting in the UFC.
Independent Fights
Karo continued to fight in other promotions. On May 19, 2011, he fought Ryan Ford in Canada. Karo was doing well, but in the third round, he got a cut over his eye. The doctor stopped the fight, and Karo lost.
He then fought Jordan Smith in Brazil on September 14, 2011. After a tough fight, Karo lost by a split decision.
In March 2012, he fought Thomas Denny and won by a decision.
Karo was set to fight for a welterweight title at ShoFIGHT 20. His opponent, Shamar Bailey, got injured. So, Karo fought John Gunderson instead. Karo got hurt during the fight and lost by a guillotine choke. He later said he tapped out because of pressure on his broken cheekbone, not because he was choked.
In October 2012, Karo pulled out of a fight for personal reasons. He said he needed to focus on himself and his life, not just fighting.
He then won two fights in a row for Gladiator Challenge. He beat Tiger Bonds and Edward Darby, both by armbar submissions in the first round.
Time in Bellator MMA
Karo's first fight in Bellator was against Rick Hawn in April 2013. Hawn won the fight in the second round.
Karo was supposed to fight Cristiano Souza at Bellator 106, but he had to pull out due to an injury.
He returned to Bellator on April 11, 2014, fighting Ron Keslar. Karo won this fight by knockout in the second round. This was his first knockout win in his MMA career.
Karo then faced Phil Baroni on July 25, 2014, at Bellator 122. He won this fight by knockout in the first round.
His next fight was against Fernando Gonzalez in October 2014. Karo lost this fight in the first round. Later, it was found that Gonzalez had used a banned substance.
Karo's Achievements
Mixed Martial Arts Awards
- Ultimate Fighting Championship
- UFC Encyclopedia Awards
- Fight of the Night (Two times) for his fights against Georges St-Pierre and Drew Fickett.
- UFC.com Awards
- 2006: Fight of the Year for his fight against Diego Sanchez.
- UFC Encyclopedia Awards
- World Extreme Cagefighting
- WEC Welterweight Championship (One time)
- Wrestling Observer Newsletter
- 2006 Fight of the Year for his fight against Diego Sanchez on August 17.
Mixed Martial Arts Record
| Professional record breakdown | ||
| 37 matches | 24 wins | 12 losses |
| By knockout | 3 | 7 |
| By submission | 11 | 1 |
| By decision | 10 | 4 |
| No contests | 1 | |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 24–12 (1) | Jose Diaz | TKO (retirement) | Extreme Fighters MMA: Ready for War | October 7, 2017 | 1 | 5:00 | Long Beach, California, United States | |
| Loss | 24–11 (1) | Fernando Gonzalez | TKO (punches) | Bellator 127 | October 3, 2014 | 1 | 1:43 | Temecula, California, United States | Gonzalez had issues with a banned substance. However the result was not changed to a no contest. |
| Win | 24–10 (1) | Phil Baroni | TKO (punches) | Bellator 122 | July 25, 2014 | 1 | 2:06 | Temecula, California, United States | |
| Win | 23–10 (1) | Ron Keslar | TKO (punches) | Bellator 116 | April 11, 2014 | 2 | 4:05 | Temecula, California, United States | |
| Loss | 22–10 (1) | Rick Hawn | KO (punches) | Bellator 95 | April 4, 2013 | 2 | 1:55 | Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States | |
| Win | 22–9 (1) | Edward Darby | Submission (armbar) | Gladiator Challenge: Heat Returns | October 28, 2012 | 1 | 2:10 | San Jacinto, California, United States | |
| Win | 21–9 (1) | Tiger Bonds | Submission (armbar) | Gladiator Challenge: King Of The Mountain | September 29, 2012 | 1 | 1:03 | San Diego, California, United States | |
| Loss | 20–9 (1) | John Gunderson | Submission (guillotine choke) | ShoFight 20 | June 16, 2012 | 1 | 2:47 | O'Reilly Family Event Center, Springfield, Missouri, United States | For the vacant ShoFIGHT Welterweight Championship. |
| Win | 20–8 (1) | Thomas Denny | Decision (unanimous) | WMMA 1 - Fighting for a Better World | March 31, 2012 | 3 | 5:00 | El Paso, Texas, United States | |
| Loss | 19–8 (1) | Jordan Smith | Decision (split) | Amazon Forest Combat 1 | September 14, 2011 | 3 | 5:00 | Manaus, Brazil | |
| Loss | 19–7 (1) | Ryan Ford | TKO (doctor stoppage) | JEG - MMA Live 1 | May 19, 2011 | 3 | 1:26 | London, Ontario, Canada | |
| Loss | 19–6 (1) | Dennis Hallman | TKO (punches) | UFC 123 | November 20, 2010 | 1 | 1:47 | Auburn Hills, Michigan, United States | |
| Win | 19–5 (1) | Ben Mortimer | Submission (rear-naked choke) | Impact FC 1 | July 10, 2010 | 2 | 4:18 | Brisbane, Australia | |
| NC | 18–5 (1) | Dong Hyun Kim | NC (overturned by NSAC) | UFC 94 | January 31, 2009 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | Originally a split decision win for Parisyan; overturned after he tested positive for banned substances. |
| Loss | 18–5 | Thiago Alves | TKO (knee and punches) | UFC Fight Night: Florian vs. Lauzon | April 2, 2008 | 2 | 0:34 | Broomfield, Colorado, United States | |
| Win | 18–4 | Ryo Chonan | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 78 | November 17, 2007 | 3 | 5:00 | Newark, New Jersey, United States | |
| Win | 17–4 | Josh Burkman | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 71 | May 26, 2007 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Win | 16–4 | Drew Fickett | Decision (unanimous) | UFC Fight Night: Sanchez vs. Riggs | December 13, 2006 | 3 | 5:00 | San Diego, California, United States | |
| Loss | 15–4 | Diego Sanchez | Decision (unanimous) | UFC Fight Night: Sanchez vs. Parisyan | August 17, 2006 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | Fight of the Night. Fight of the Year. |
| Win | 15–3 | Nick Thompson | TKO (submission to punches) | UFC 59 | April 15, 2006 | 1 | 4:44 | Anaheim, California, United States | |
| Win | 14–3 | Matt Serra | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 53 | June 4, 2005 | 3 | 5:00 | Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States | |
| Win | 13–3 | Chris Lytle | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 51 | February 5, 2005 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Win | 12–3 | Nick Diaz | Decision (split) | UFC 49 | August 21, 2004 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Win | 11–3 | Shonie Carter | Decision (unanimous) | WEC 10 | May 21, 2004 | 3 | 5:00 | Lemoore, California, United States | Won the WEC Welterweight Championship. |
| Loss | 10–3 | Georges St-Pierre | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 46 | January 31, 2004 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Win | 10–2 | Dave Strasser | Submission (kimura) | UFC 44 | September 26, 2003 | 1 | 3:52 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Win | 9–2 | Fernando Vasconcelos | Decision (unanimous) | King of the Cage 22 | March 23, 2003 | 3 | 5:00 | San Jacinto, California, United States | |
| Win | 8–2 | Antonio McKee | Decision (unanimous) | Ultimate Cage Fighting 3 | February 15, 2003 | 3 | 5:00 | Hollywood, California, United States | |
| Win | 7–2 | Darrell Smith | Submission (armbar) | Reality Submission Fighting 3 | March 30, 2001 | 1 | 0:59 | Belleville, Illinois, United States | |
| Loss | 6–2 | Sean Sherk | TKO (corner stoppage) | Reality Submission Fighting 2 | January 5, 2001 | 1 | 16:20 | Belleville, Illinois, United States | |
| Loss | 6–1 | Sean Sherk | Decision (unanimous) | Reality Submission Fighting 1 | October 10, 2000 | 1 | 18:00 | Belleville, Illinois, United States | |
| Win | 6–0 | Guido Jennings | Submission (choke) | Kage Kombat 16 | June 7, 1999 | 1 | 6:33 | California, United States | |
| Win | 5–0 | Justin Bumphus | Submission (choke) | ESF: Empire One | May 15, 1999 | 1 | N/A | Corona, California, United States | |
| Win | 4–0 | Scott Davis | Submission (armbar) | Kage Kombat 14 | April 5, 1999 | 1 | 2:16 | Los Angeles, California, United States | |
| Win | 3–0 | Jason Rittgers | Submission (armbar) | Kage Kombat 14 | April 5, 1999 | 1 | 1:58 | Los Angeles, California, United States | |
| Win | 2–0 | Zach McKinney | Submission (armbar) | Kage Kombat 12 | February 1, 1999 | 1 | 0:23 | Los Angeles, California, United States | |
| Win | 1–0 | Brian Warren | Submission (ankle lock) | Kage Kombat 12 | February 1, 1999 | 1 | 0:44 | Los Angeles, California, United States |
See also
In Spanish: Karo Parisyan para niños
- List of male mixed martial artists
