Karo Parisyan vs. Dong Hyun Kim
In the opening bout of the evening, skilled judoka Karo “The Heat” Parisyan will look to get back to his winning ways against Korean standout Dong Hyun Kim. This is a must-win for Parisyan, who was once considered the top contender at 170 pounds, but who has since seen his stock plummet.
Parisyan, best known for his explosive high-impact judo throws, has had a tough road in UFC lately. At one point he was in position to get the next shot at then-champion Matt Hughes’ Welterweight Title, but an injury sustained in training shunted him off to the sidelines of the title picture, and an upset loss to Diego Sanchez removed him from it altogether. Karo looked to be getting back on track, stringing together three quality wins, but in his last outing his title dreams were upset again courtesy of a shocking TKO stoppage at the hands of Thiago Alves that many, Karo included, felt was premature.
Now, his place in the Welterweight hierarchy is in question, and a win against Kim is absolutely necessary if he ever wants another opportunity at capturing gold. Luckily for him, Parisyan brings a dangerous attack and a well-rounded skillset with him to the Octagon. While not a world-class striker, his hands are decent, and his takedowns are feared throughout the sport. In addition, he comes into this fight with a huge experience advantage, not only in terms of fights but quality of opposition.
His opponent, Dong Hyun Kim, is an undefeated Korean prospect with dangerous striking and solid takedowns of his own. He impressed in his UFC debut, destroying Jason Tan with brutal elbows, but was nearly upset by a game Matt Brown in his last trip to the Octagon.
Kim’s best bet at keeping his undefeated record intact is to keep this fight not only standing, but at a distance. In a kickboxing match, Kim is probably the more dangerous fighter, but if this one moves to the clinch there is a good chance Karo will launch Kim with one of his trademark judo throws.
Ultimately, Karo’s well-roundedness, experience, and aggression should allow him to control the young Korean, neutralizing his standup, scoring a few throws, and controlling the action on the ground. Kim has a bright future in this sport, but Karo has a bright past and present.
Parisyan by unanimous decision.
