UFC 88: Karo Parisyan vs. Yoshiyuki Yoshida

by Jesse Holland on Jun 25, 2008 11:27 AM EDT

parysian yoshida ufc 88
Bitter UFC welterweight Karo "The Heat" Parisyan (18-5) is likely to face Japan's Yoshiyuki "Zenko" Yoshida (10-2) on the main card at UFC 88: "Breakthrough" at the Philips Arena in Atlanta, Ga., on September 6, according to a report on Tagg Radio.

"The Heat" was recently cooled off at UFC Fight Night 13 when he was stopped by rising star Thiago "Pitbull" Alves in the second round due to strikes. The typically gracious Parisyan was uncharacteristically sour on the stoppage, claiming that referee Steve Mazzagatti was premature in his decision to halt the bout.

While Parisyan may have suffered another setback in his quest for the welterweight championship, he is still a dangerous opponent, going 8-2 since being outpointed by current 170-pound champ Georges "Rush" St. Pierre back in 2004.

However, a loss here could be catastrophic for the UFC career of Parisyan, who UFC President Dana White recently referred to as "a gatekeeper".

Opposing him will be Yoshiyuki Yoshida, the former Cage Force and Shooto star who was successful in his UFC debut at UFC 84: "Ill Will" when he submitted TUF alum Jon Koppenhaver via anaconda choke. "Zenko" is the winner of nine straight fights and could vault himself into contention with a dominant win over Parisyan.

UFC 88 will showcase a main event between former light heavyweight champion Chuck Liddell and The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 2 heavyweight winner Rashad Evans.

Stay tuned for more UFC 88 fight card updates.

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Comments

karo is a complete goof!

by ~Stinky~fingers~ on Jun 25, 2008 11:29 AM EDT reply actions

UFC 87: Tamden McRory vs. Luke Cummo set for undercard. That will be a very entertaining, striking filled, welterweight under card fight. I am happy that this fight has been made official. Its a great match up!

by JOHN on Jun 25, 2008 11:30 AM EDT reply actions

me too! war cummo!

by b.w on Jun 25, 2008 11:44 AM EDT up reply actions

forget about him being a gatekeeper.

i will call him the weightkeeper!

pudgy little gino.

by ~Stinky~fingers~ on Jun 25, 2008 11:30 AM EDT reply actions

Mania, Is Liddell vs. Evans the main event? If so, the rumblings about Silva vs. Okami being added to the card can not be true!

by JOHN on Jun 25, 2008 11:31 AM EDT reply actions

I’m not mania, but – the rumors I’ve read(I forget where – MMAWeekly maybe) have Liddell/Evans as the main event for 88, with Silva/Okami possibly headlining 89 over in England.

by Jase on Jun 25, 2008 11:48 AM EDT up reply actions

thanks for the heads up

by john on Jun 25, 2008 12:13 PM EDT up reply actions

Yoshida will destroy Karo…

by RoB on Jun 25, 2008 11:33 AM EDT reply actions

IU never understood all the Karo hype! He’s a douche bag first and foremost, always looks out of shape and isn’t very fun to watch. He has this sense of entitlement like “hey I was guaranteed a title shot 5 years ago, and still deserve it.” Some guys say he’s a gatekeeper, but I wouldn’t insult guys that are gatekeepers by giving Karo this title. I would love to see Diego crush him again!

by kevin on Jun 25, 2008 11:36 AM EDT reply actions

True words.

by naturalshadow on Jun 25, 2008 4:59 PM EDT up reply actions

Karo is so full of himself but hey he’s still a good fighter.

by Toad on Jun 25, 2008 11:41 AM EDT reply actions

What fight is that cut from?

by JRV on Jun 25, 2008 12:00 PM EDT reply actions

Nickname time! anyone for Karo “Lovehandles” Parisyan?"

by chefdaddy on Jun 25, 2008 12:03 PM EDT reply actions

i like it.

karo “fitch-ducker” parisyan

karo “fat-tits” parisyan

karo “the weightkeeper” parisyan

-mine suck

i like yours better.

by ~Stinky~fingers~ on Jun 25, 2008 12:09 PM EDT up reply actions

Karo “Do you know who I am bro” Parisyan

And I like Evan “The weird-o with the beard-o” Tanner

by BNF on Jun 25, 2008 12:12 PM EDT up reply actions

the weird-o-beard-o is an instant classic.

well played.

i definitely have to use that one.

by ~Stinky~fingers~ on Jun 25, 2008 12:19 PM EDT up reply actions

karo’s judo throws are crazy tho. i like seeing different martial arts styles in the sport. but he needs to say F*CK home life and handle business by getting in shape and start finishing fools like a str8 savage.

by kama kaze on Jun 25, 2008 12:05 PM EDT reply actions

Karo has left his regular training camp in Xtreme Couture, to go train with Greg Jackson and his camp in New Mexico. I think that will spark a new fire underneath Karo, and after his loss against Thiago, I think Karo will completely come in and dominate this fight.

by "Mr. NC-17" on Jun 25, 2008 12:11 PM EDT reply actions

ViolentMike said we would find Karo half dead on Greg Jackson’s mountain! lol

by john on Jun 25, 2008 12:14 PM EDT up reply actions

If this is true then its a great move for karo. He really needs to hone his skills to get to the next level. Even if he beat Alves i dont think he would have gotten a title shot but he’s even further down now. He is still young but has to realize that he is not even close to the fitness level of gsp, kos or alves and he has to change that. I think Karo can definately be a champion but he needs to become humble and know there are areas to work on. Yes he was winning the Alves fight before he got tko’d but the fact is needs to learn to finish fites or the ufc will never market him or put him to the next level.

by Bobby O'shea on Jun 25, 2008 12:48 PM EDT up reply actions

Sweet, now GSP can add Judo to his tools.

by Pat on Jun 25, 2008 1:12 PM EDT up reply actions

He already has Judo in his arsenal! Didnt you see him take Hughes for a ride in December?

by john on Jun 25, 2008 2:10 PM EDT up reply actions

I’m not entirely sure, but I’ve had ppl tell me that it’s a wrestling takedown.

by Pat on Jun 25, 2008 4:31 PM EDT up reply actions

I mean at least train enough to look like you belong there. He probably could cut to 145 if he trained a little bit. He has at least 20 pounds of fat on him. He’s only got a few UFC fights left in him, and then time for the smaller shows. He dodged Fitch, and wants a title shot. How about winning some big fights first fatty?

by Mark - Chicago on Jun 25, 2008 12:22 PM EDT reply actions

Karo does seem like a total ass. He’s got waaaaay too much ego. I do have to respect his judo abilities though, his throws are incredible. And I have to say that his fight with Nick Diaz remains one of the best in UFC history.

I think he could easily make 155 with proper training and cardio, and would probably be more of a force at lightweight.

by JRK on Jun 25, 2008 12:31 PM EDT reply actions

Does anyone know how to say ‘do you know who the f*ck I am bro?’ in Japanese?

by PW on Jun 25, 2008 12:39 PM EDT reply actions

Ha!

Good one, Bro!

by OJR on Jun 25, 2008 12:48 PM EDT up reply actions

i want to see KARO vs KOSCHECK!

by jack on Jun 25, 2008 1:18 PM EDT reply actions

Me too, but Karo is on the down slope and doesn’t deserve to meet Kos.. It would be a good win under his belt though for Kos. Pudgy Karo and his flabby gut last fight, pathetic.

by DirtbagHtr on Jun 25, 2008 9:18 PM EDT up reply actions

the koopenhaver fight was impressive, he didn’t even land a punch i think and yoshidas got some tight chokes, im hoping for the upset here

by markg on Jun 25, 2008 8:01 PM EDT reply actions

I’m a fan of both. I was happy to see Yoshiyuki Yoshida sign a UFC contract after his performance in Cage Force. I was actually hoping that Akira Kikuchi would win the tournament and come to the U.S. to fight Karo Parisyan. Now it appears that Yoshida, who defeated Kikuchi, will be taking that place. Funny how things work out. We’ve got two Judo stylists here, but Yoshida is also known for his sharp striking and ground n’ pound. I could see an upset unfolding if Parisyan and Yoshida fight, but I could also see Parisyan gaining control of the fight with his strength and wrestling ability. Parisyan has great Judo, but training with Randy Couture, he’s picking up wrestling skills, too. That could be vital in a fight with Yoshida, who would appear have Parisyan matched in Judo ability.

by Ryan Bergin on Jun 25, 2008 8:13 PM EDT reply actions

I like the fact that Karo is training with GSP I think he can learn alot about conditioning from GSP and the Jackson camp. His attitude I really don’t mind in the words of Biggy “If I don’t say I’m the best who the hell will” I think well prepared Karo is hard to stop. The dude is young guy and I think he will be champ one day only if GSP moves to middleweight.
I am fan of Karo and last time I check UFC is not a personality contest. Or if you guys want we can turn UFC into American Idol and take votes to determine the winners.

by TKO on Jun 25, 2008 10:18 PM EDT reply actions