I think it’s a great style for me. It’s a great matchup. I eat Jiu Jitsu guys for breakfast a lot of times. He’s tough and he’s got really good Jiu Jitsu and good standup. He’s a well-rounded fighter, but I have fought 2 and 3-time Jiu Jitsu world champion guys man. And I’m a grappler myself so I really have some surprises for him. I have a tremendous respect for Dustin as an opponent. I don’t know him as a person, but he looks like a nice guy.
– Karo Parisyan speaking to FightHype about his upcoming UFC 106 fight with Dustin Hazelett (HT: MMAMania). This is the very definition of a “must win fight” for Karo. Coming off a TKO loss and a win that was overturned because of a positive drug test Karo can’t afford to drop this fight.
Many people forget that the way Karo incorporaed Judo into MMA was revolutionary. There are a lot of negatives that one can focus in on if you want such as the lack of finishing ability displayed in his time with the UFC or the lack of personal ownership of his issues but I still think about the awesome kimura win against Dave Strasser and hope that we see Karo at his best.