Karo Parisyan (17-4) will fight Octagon newcomer Ryo Chonan (14-7) -- not Hector Lombard -- at UFC 78: "Validation" on November 17 at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., according to WrestlingObserver.com.
Lombard -- a Cuban living in Australia -- as we reported earlier was denied access to the United States because of visa issues.
To find a solid opponent for "The Heat" on short notice he was paired up with the Japanese standout. Chonan was originally scheduled to clash with Thiago Alves that same night.
Chonan is one of four men to topple the current 185-pound titleholder, defeating Anderson "The Spider" Silva with an eye-popping flying scissor heal hook at PRIDE Shockwave 2004.
The "Piranha" has competed against some of the top names in the sport, including Hayato Sakurai (win), Carlos Newton (win), Dan Henderson (loss), Phil Baroni (loss), Joey Villasenor (win) and Paulo Filho (loss), among others.
This marks not only his UFC debut, but his welterweight debut, too.
Parisyan is on a two-fight win streak and has been victorious in seven out of his last eight bouts dating all the way back to 2004. He most recently defeated Josh Burkman via unanimous decision at UFC 71 in May.
The Armenian-born Judo specialist has been clamoring for a title shot since he missed his chance against Matt Hughes in 2005 because of an injury sustained during training.
However, Matt Hughes and Georges St. Pierre are already lined up in front of Parisyan, meaning he won't get his crack at 170-pound glory until mid 2008 at the earliest.
A win over a talent like Chonan would certainly keep him near the front of the line.
To check out the latest rumored UFC 78 fight card click here.
(Thanks to Drew [Mr. NC-17] for the assist.)
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