Karo Parisyan suspended for nine months

In wake of testing positive for three banned painkillers at UFC 94 in January, the Nevada State Athletic Commission today suspended welterweight contender Karo Parisyan for nine months, fined him $32,000, and ruled his split decision victory against Dong Hyun Kim a no decision. Sherdog reports:

Despite the result of the match being overturned, Parisyan was not forced to forfeit the $40,000 win bonus he received. The NSAC instead elected to impose a 40-percent fine on the entire $80,000 purse he was awarded but warned future violators that their win bonuses would be subject to forfeiture.

Parisyan, who was not represented by legal counsel at the hearing, pleaded for leniency before the commission after he admitted his guilt.

"This is my only form of income," Parisyan said. "If I don't fight, I'm nothing. I'm very, very sorry. It was completely unintentional. This is embarrassing for me."

According to Parisyan, he was put on a prescription painkiller because of a torn hamstring he suffered while training for a title fight against Matt Hughes in 2005. The injury forced him out of the UFC 56 match and has never been repaired, as evidenced by the deformed muscle visible on the back of his leg. Parisyan claims it has continued to cause him pain in the three years since.

However, prior to the Kim fight at UFC 94, Parisyan ingested two pain pills -- later identified as Percocet -- he received from a friend, who had assured him they were the same as what he had been prescribed. Evidently, they were not. His levels of Hydromorphone and Oxymorphone -- the two drugs for which he has no prescriptions -- were described as "very high."

"I trust the guy," Parisyan said. "He's a friend of mine. He's got a chronic disease. He gave me the pills and told me they were the same exact thing. That's why I took them."

What's more, Parisyan failed to disclose his use of painkillers, prescribed or otherwise, on a pre-fight questionnaire. Only after the fight did he inform an NSAC inspector.

This sucks for Karo, but it's probably something that needed to happen for the guy to get his head straight. You can't just be popping whatever pills people give you, then lie about it before a fight. Anybody in their right mind should know that, and that's exactly the problem. Karo just needs to take a step back and reevaluate things. Good news for Dong Hyun Kim though, since I could've seen him eking out that split decision at UFC 94, and now he maintains his perfect record. And really, it's all about records. Like my perfect record in pizza eating. That's right, not once have I not eaten pizza when presented with pizza. It's a gift.

Karo Parisyan tests positives for painkillers

The Nevada State Athletic Commission revealed today that Karo Parisyan has tested positive for several painkillers, including Hydrocodone, Hydromorphone, and Oxymorphone. The announcement comes following his split decision win over Dong Hyun "Stun Gun" Kim at UFC 94: St. Pierre vs Penn 2 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, on January 31. MMAMania reports:

The finding could be a serious one. Hydrocodone (Vicodin), Hydromorphone (Dilaudid) and Oxymorphone (which is about six to eight times stronger than morphine) all come with relatively high levels of dependency for regular users. They are all prescription-strength painkillers.

While there will no doubt be speculation about this recent turn of events, remember that Parisyan is innocent until proven guilty. He could face a fine and possible suspension by the NSAC, which he would be allowed to appeal.

I knew he was battling some mental issues and panic attacks, but now painkillers? Parisyan really needs to step back and reexamine what's going on with his life. At this rate he'll show up to his next fight 30 lbs underweight, shivering, and asking everybody in the stands if they've got any spare change.

UFC 94 Picks: Karo Parisyan vs. Dong Hyun Kim

This is a tough one to call. When he's healthy and his mind is right, Karo Parisyan is a force. I used to be really impressed by his exceptional Judo and furious pace, but both seem to have dwindled as of late. He's got good submissions, but recently seems obsessed with ineffective ground and pound. And panic attacks? Not exactly a fight-winning trait.

Dong Hyun "Stun Gun" Kim on the other hand has slick submissions and ground and pound of his own. Only he seems more effective at both. Yeah, he gassed pretty badly against Matt Brown, but keep in mind that was while hanging onto his back like a koala the entire first round. He hasn't really been tested against top competition yet, but I'm not sure I'd be calling Karo Parisyan top competition.

THE BOTTOM LINE
I'm going with Dong Hyun Kim on this one. Karo will be his toughest opponent yet by far, but Kim has all the skills Karo has, along with more effective ground and pound. Plus Kim has the hopes and dreams of Korea resting on his shoulders, so that's got to be pretty good motivation too. And Karo? Well he's got panic attacks.

Rick Story on backup in case Karo Parisyan pulls out of UFC 94

There's some talk that the UFC is concerned Karo Parisyan could 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. As a backup, they've brought in newcomer Rick Story who's been cutting weight and getting ready to make his Octagon debut against Kim if needed.

Karo most recently pulled out of a fight against Yoshiyuki "Zenko" Yoshida at UFC 88: Breakthrough in September hours before the event due to an injury. Afterwards, Karo also admitted that he's been dealing with panic attacks. Which could pose a problem for him, considering his job is essentially to walk into a cage and fight other men with his bare hands.