Everyone is rightly focused on the main event of UFC 94, but there are a number of intriguing matches on the card below it. One of the most intriguing is Karo Parisyan vs. Dong Hyun Kim.
A year or so ago, Karo was just one win away from a title fight at 170. After losing to Thiago Alves and canceling a fight in September, a number of people have questioned whether his heart is really in it. There are also a number of questions about Dong, who came into the UFC with a lot of hype and got off to a good start, but nearly dropped the ball at UFC 88 with a close decision win over Matt Brown.
Both guys are only a win away from getting into the mix of contenders at 170. Neither is close to a title shot, and Karo probably won’t even take one now that he trains with GSP, but he badly needs a win both for his ranking status and for his own self confidence.
Karo spoke with Fight Hype, where he made his intentions very clear:
“I’m going to come out from bell to bell and just try to crush him. I want to run through him like a tractor, bro; like a tank….I have to bring the old Karo back. I have to bring that aggressive style back to be a contender and become a champion.”
Both men are well versed in judo, which should make for a very interesting fight. Karo has the better judo pedigree, but Dong is no slouch. Hopefully this marks the return of exciting Karo Parisyan fights.