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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