MMAmania.com has learned that there are concerns that Karo Parisyan will pull out of his upcoming bout against Dong Hyun "Stun Gun" Kim at UFC 94: "St. Pierre vs. Penn 2" at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, this Saturday night (Jan.31).
Accordingly, the promotion has opted to line up a "Plan B" just in case "The Heat" needs to get out of the kitchen less than 48 hours before fight night. Newcomer Rick Story is waiting in the wings, cutting weight and getting ready to make his Octagon debut against Kim if called upon.
Story is a veteran of the Elite Warriors Championship (EWC) circuit up in Oregon. In fact, he has plied his trade primarily in the northwest, winning seven of nine pro fights. He is currently on a six fight win streak -- all of which took place in 2008.
Parisyan most recently recovered from an injury that forced him to withdraw from a fight against Yoshiyuki "Zenko" Yoshida at UFC 88: "Breakthrough" in September literally hours before showtime. It was an unfortunate situation that was made more curious with his admission the he has been dealing with panic attacks.
Numerous critics claimed "The Heat" merely freaked out and used the injury as an excuse to bail from the bout. And if for some reason he is replaced by Story on such short notice this time around, it will likely stoke those flames even higher.
We should get more information on this developing situation as the weigh-in event and fight night draw closer. As of right now, Parisyan is still booked to fight "Stun Gun." But if for some reason he is scratched at the last minute, Story would take his place.
Stay tuned.