"I was in Vegas just chilling in my room and Joe Silva (the UFC's vice president of talent relations) called and said, ‘we're thinking about (Ryo Chonan) and I said fine, no problem.... I train the same way for everybody. I don't care who I'm fighting. As long as I'm in shape, I'm ready to fight.... He has a bigger name than Hector Lombard and, god willing if I beat him, it will be a bigger win for me. It will be a good fight for me.... Hector Lombard is not an easy guy to fight either, but at the same time, I think that Ryo Chonan has way more fights under his belt. He's got victories over very good fighters."
-- Karo Parisyan talks about his new welterweight opponent at UFC 78: "Validation," Ryo Chonan, via MMAWeekly.com. "The Heat" was originally booked to fight Hector Lombard at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. on November 17. However, the Cuban had to withdraw after encountering visa problems entering the United States.
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