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.

Lyoto Machida on his UFC 94 victory

This is a video of Lyoto Machida discussing how he changed up his training before his fight against Thiago Alves at UFC 94: St. Pierre vs Penn. He says before he didn't do any strength or cardio training, but he added those in to try and become a more explosive fighter. It's a scary thought to imagine adding knockout power to Machida's already ridiculous skill set. If I was cornering any of his opponents, my advice would be to show up to the fight with a machine gun.

UFC 94 makes a lot of money

The Las Vegas Sun is reporting that UFC 94: St. Pierre vs Penn was the UFC's biggest event yet.

While official numbers have yet to be released, White said he expected UFC 94 to surpass both UFC 91 (Randy Couture-Brock Lesnar) and UFC 92 (The Ultimate 2008) as the top-selling pay-per-view event in the organization's history, with more than 1.3 million buys (which would top the 1.25 million pay-per-views that the Oscar De La Hoya-Manny Pacquiao "Dream Match" in December generated).

The company's record of 1.05 million sales came when Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz squared off for the second time at UFC 66 in 2006.

Should Saturday's attendance number of 14,885 fans at the MGM Grand hold up, the event would become the highest-attended UFC fight in Las Vegas. Not to mention the $4.3 million live gate, would be good for sixth all-time.

So the show which was hyped to be the biggest of all time and even came with its own three part primetime show was a huge success. Shocking. You can't tell, but my jaw just hit the floor and my tongue rolled out. That is how shocked I am by this shocking news.

Georges St. Pierre training at Xtreme Couture

Xtreme Couture has posted some photos of Georges St. Pierre training at their Las Vegas gym prior to the BJ Penn fight. You can check out the rest of the images here. And maybe if you're lucky I'll post some pictures of me training. What's that? Eating an entire pizza and then watching TV for six hours straight doesn't constitute training?

Thoughts on Georges St. Pierre's greasing

It probably wouldn't have made a difference in the fight, but George St. Pierre's greasing scandal does shed new light on watching BJ Penn's high guard slipping off of St. Pierre's back and shoulders all through round two. Even if it wasn't intentional, somebody should've stopped St. Pierre's cornerman from rubbing the Vaseline all over his body. Sweat and Vaseline don't just wipe off easily, and even the slightest amounts could make all the difference between getting a sweep or submission. I don't doubt that BJ Penn knew he was going to be taken down in the fight, and to prepare I'm sure he practiced his high guard/rubber guard. It's a little suspect that the parts of St. Pierre which were accidentally "greased" (his back and shoulders) were the parts which would've best nullified Penn's ground game.

I still do believe it was an accident and that it wouldn't have changed the outcome of the fight, but cheating is cheating. Sean Sherk was crucified for maybe accidentally taking steroids (he passed a polygraph and other samples in his test group had false positives). For some reason St. Pierre is getting a pass simply because we like the guy. And, yes, we do like the guy. Let's just be honest here and not blind ourselves to the fact that Vaseline was applied to his chest, back, and shoulders. Whether or not it was intentional doesn't really matter. If they accidentally slipped a brass knuckle into his glove it's still cheating. If Kobe Bryant showed up to an elementary school basketball game with a jetpack would we just look the other way and say it was okay because he would've won anyway?

NSAC speaks out about George St. Pierre "greasing"

The Nevada State Athletic Commission Executive Director Keith Kizer confirmed today that improprieties had occurred in George St. Pierre's corner after the first and second rounds. Sherdog reports:

"After the first round, one of my inspectors came to me and told me he thought he saw one of the cornermen -- I believe it was Phil Nurse ... after putting Vaseline on [St. Pierre's] face, he saw him rub his shoulders, and it appeared as though he might not have wiped off his hands," Kizer said. "After the second round, we observed Mr. Jackson putting Vaseline on Mr. St. Pierre's face and then putting his hand on his back."

At that point, Kizer attempted to get Jackson's attention from outside the cage.

"I don't think he heard me because of all the noise in the arena, so I immediately walked into the Octagon myself -- I've probably done that two other times in my career -- and told him to take his hand off Mr. St. Pierre's back," he said. "We took a towel and wiped off his back. After the third round, we went in again and made sure his back and shoulders were wiped off to ensure a level playing field."

"I told them I was disappointed and that they may have tainted Mr. St. Pierre's victory," he said. "I told them if it happens again, it will probably be the last time they work a corner in Nevada. Basically, they said, 'Look, we're sorry. We're not trying to do anything. It was an accident.' Whether it was intentional or not, I don't know. It was improper."

According to St. Pierre's trainer, Greg Jackson, the back rubbing was part of a ritual to help calm St. Pierre, and the Vaseline was completely unintentional. I really don't know what to believe here. Other fighters (including Josh Koscheck, Matt Serra, and even BJ Penn in their first fight) have complained of St. Pierre greasing and I've seen a few pretty curious clips on the internet which make me wonder. Even if the NSAC clears St. Pierre of any wrongdoing, what should have been the pinnacle of his career thus far has been tarnished. It's undeniable Vaseline was applied to his back and shoulders, it's just going to come down to whether or not it was intentional and whether or not it was sufficiently wiped off.

Dana White's UFC 94 Video Blog - 1/31/09

Here's Dana White's latest video blog taped on Saturday, the day of UFC 94: St. Pierre vs Penn. Highlights include a devastated Stephan Bonnar almost breaking down into tears and Dana White walking over to light heavyweight champion Rashad Evans and saying to him, "Georges is in trouble. The commission caught Georges' corner rubbing vaseline all over his back." Not looking terribly good for St. Pierre in regards to the "greasing" controversy but we'll see how it plays out. Personally, the only way I could've seen the fight going differently is if a trained gorilla showed up in BJ's place.

UFC 94 Analysis: Georges St. Pierre vs. BJ Penn

Watching the fight you never would've guessed that BJ Penn once fought Georges St. Pierre to a controversial split decision loss. No, you would've seen the fight for exactly what it was: a lightweight champion fighting a welterweight champion in a division he's just too small for.

The fight was a one sided beating by Georges St. Pierre, a man with so much discipline he makes Buddhist monks look like couch potatoes. BJ Penn simply had no answers to St. Pierre's superior strength and wrestling. There have been some whisperings of controversy (GSP's corner possibly greasing his back in between rounds), but even if true, I couldn't see it changing the outcome of the fight.

There was a part of me that always believed BJ Penn really did have all the potential in the world and that he just lacked focused. Saturday's fight showed that maybe in his previous fights he was closer to his potential than maybe anybody ever saw. He trained hard for this fight, and the results just weren't what we were all hoping for. Perhaps his body has peaked, but I just can't see BJ Penn growing much more as a fighter. At 155 lbs he's still the king, but UFC 94 showed just how much farther than him Georges St. Pierre as progressed.

There's no shame in losing to a champion that's just naturally bigger and stronger, but I just always sort of hoped that a BJ Penn who realized his full potential would be an unstoppable BJ Penn. Now it appears a BJ Penn who realizes his full potential is just BJ Penn.

UFC 94 Picks: Georges St. Pierre vs. B.J. Penn

Georges "Rush" St. Pierre
Height: 5'10"
Weight: 170 lbs.
Age: 27
Record: 17-2

What can be said about Georges St. Pierre that hasn't already been said? He's a ridiculous athlete who's well rounded in every aspect of the game. He has maybe the most crushing wrestling in MMA, versatile striking, and now has his BJJ blackbelt. Without doubt, St. Pierre's strategy for this fight is going to be to take BJ Penn down and try to smother him with ground and pound. And if he can manage to push the fight into the later rounds he'll have a significant cardio advantage as well. BJ has rededicated himself to getting in shape, but he's just nowhere near the level of athlete that GSP is.

B.J. "The Prodigy" Penn
Height: 5'9"
Weight: 170 lbs.
Age: 30
Record: 13-4-1

He talks a lot of trash but he's got the talent and the skill to back it up. Nobody wants to see BJ Penn realize his talent more than me, but he's just not suited for the 170 lb division. He's looked great in his last three fights, but those were at his natural weight of 155 lbs. He's got all the tools to win, but he's at a tremendous size and strength disadvantage here. If he can manage to stay off his back and turn this into a brawl he'll have a chance, but I just can't see him being able to stop St. Pierre's takedowns.

THE BOTTOM LINE
Georges St. Pierre will take BJ down and ground and pound a decision. BJ didn't have a lot of answers off his back in their first fight, and GSP has just improved so much since then. The only way I see BJ winning is catching St. Pierre early with a punch and capitalizing. Otherwise, expect another wrestling clinic put on by the division's premiere athlete: Me. Or Georges St. Pierre. Look, whatever, man.

UFC 94 Picks: Thiago Silva vs. Lyoto Machida

Thiago Silva
Height: 6'1"
Weight: 205 lbs.
Age: 26
Record: 13-0

You've seen all the UFC video promos right? The one where Joe Rogan says Thiago Silva "is a straight up murderer"? Yeah, well that basically sums it up. Thiago Silva is a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu blackbelt who knocks people out. He's super aggressive and we still haven't really seen what he has to offer on the ground (though on paper he's got the advantage). Unfortunately, his aggressive style plays directly into Lyoto Machida's counter-striking style. If he can manage to actually engage Machida he'll have a chance, but nobody has been able to do it yet and I doubt Thiago Silva will either.

Lyoto "The Dragon" Machida
Height: 6'1"
Weight: 205 lbs.
Age: 26
Record: 13-0

Lyoto Machida is the next step in MMA. Most fighters (Thiago Silva included) are content to just jump into the fray and exchange blows. Lyoto Machida, on the other hand, has come to the conclusion that getting hit sucks. So, well, he doesn't. What many consider boring is a tactical display of precision striking and damage avoidance. He forces you to play his game and that's exactly what he'll do to Thiago Silva.

THE BOTTOM LINE
You just can't bet against Lyoto Machida. He picks opponents apart and makes them look like a fool doing so. If he can manage to avoid Thiago Silva's initial onslaught, he'll end up controlling the fight and win another decisive decision. You know, assuming Thiago Silva doesn't bring a knife to the fight and actually start murdering people.

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.

UFC 94 Picks: Jon Fitch vs. Akihiro Gono

I'm still not entirely sure what this is doing on the undercard, but I guess Dana White holds grudges and was pretty pissed when Jon Fitch wouldn't sign over his likeness for the UFC video game. Politics aside, you have to go with Jon Fitch on this one. He proved in his fight against Georges St. Pierre that he can take a punch. Or two. Or fifteen.

Akihiro Gono is a solid fighter, but he's 1-1 in the UFC and up until St. Pierre, Fitch was on an eight fight win streak. Clearly Gono doesn't have the striking or athleticism of St. Pierre, and even ol' GSP couldn't put Fitch away. Gono has a good submission game, but it won't be any use against an experienced wrestler like Fitch, who has decent ground experience as well. Gono's best bet is to stay off his back and possibly eek out a decision with his striking.

THE BOTTOM LINE
Using his superior wrestling, Fitch will grind out a decision victory over Gono. And me? I'll grind out an orgasm to this picture of Ariana Celeste I just found. Mission accomplished!

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.