For The Hardcores

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  • Unique Technique | Karo Parisyan and The Art Of Judo

    Unique Technique | Karo Parisyan and The Art Of Judo

    That’s Judo! If you go back and watch Karo Parisyan’s fights, this is a word you will hear about 7 times per round. When he hit the scene in the early 2000s, Judo was not well-represented on the North American MMA scene. In terms of cage fighting, US fans dismissed this art as limited and didn’t see it as useful. Karo Parisyan was born in Armenia, and immigrated to America when he was six years old, in 1988. At the age of nine, he started training in Northern Hollywood under Gokor Chivichyan and Gene LeBell, who developed the Hayastan Grappling System. Between 2000 and 2003, Karo competed at the junior national level, winning 10 titles across the US and Canada. Five of those were gold medals. Karo made his MMA debut in 1999 and competed throughout the time he was winning Judo championships, getting his call from the UFC in 2003. Karo has stated that his interest in MMA always came second to Judo, only fighting to keep himself busy when he wasn’t competing in the former. Going to the Olympics was his dream and he competed in the 2004 Olympic Trials, but fell short of his goal. Thus, he continued his fighting career. Although he didn’t win a UFC title, he became the WEC welterweight champion, and went on to have a very successful career in multiple organizations. Karo became a sort of pioneer for Judo in MMA, and is now remembered for the uniqueness of his style, the Judo skill he displayed, and memorability of his fights. On top of that, he had quite the explosive personality, dividing fans and critics, but always spoke from his heart, and I appreciate that part of who he is. He was often humorous in his post-fight interviews, once even singing about himself to the tune of the US National Anthem from Borat, after his win over Josh Burkman.

    The natural Joe Rogan response of “You’re singing sucks, but you’re a fantastic fighter” couldn’t have been more fitting. In terms of Karo’s Judo, I am not an expert so I will just talk about some of the techniques he used, and show you what made him exciting to watch. He quickly compiled a 5-0 record as a professional in less than a year. By the time he got the call from the UFC he was 9-2 overall, with his only losses coming to the future UFC champion Sean Sherk. He debuted at UFC 44 against Dave Strasser, who was an experienced and well respected fighter. Here he is utilizing a Seoi Otoshi or “shoulder drop”. He drops to his knees and pulls Strasser by his arm and shoulder, flipping Strasser over his back. 

    Here is a Harai Makikomi, which is a hip throw. He uses Strasser’s own forward motion against him, locking in a kimura grip to control his upper body.

    He finishes the fight in the second round by using a Hikikomi Gaeshi, or “pulling in sacrifice throw”. This results in Strasser being flipped by Karo’s right foot, and since Parisyan already had a kimura lock, Strasser fell right into the submission and was forced to tap.

    He was also able to pull this off against a debuting GSP and almost achieved a straight armbar. It turns out GSP was already freakishly strong in his early days, and he wiggled out.

    He would lose to future all-time great GSP. After a 5-1 run in the UFC, he faced Diego Sanchez, who famously said “he won’t be able to take me down with any of that judo crap”. Karo was a small favorite over Sanchez, who came in undefeated in his MMA career, and held a strong wrestling base. Well he did take Diego down with his “judo crap”, but the fight turned out to be one for the ages. Two minutes into the fight, Karo showed us an Ouchi Gari, or “large inner reap”: 

    After Diego proved tough to keep down, the two clinched a bit. That’s when Karo hit a Harai Goshi, using his arm to control upper body, his leg to sweep Diego’s own, and his hips to flip him forward:

    When both guys neutralized each other on the ground, they went to war on the feet, before Parisyan took Diego down again:

    This time Parisyan used a Sukui Nage, or “scooping throw”. Diego would prove to be too skilled to be here for long, as he reversed the position and ended the fight on top raining down heavy shots. Sanchez would go on to win a unanimous decision. 

    Karo Parisyan wasn’t just skilled in the Judo department, although it was his strength. He never hesitated to throw heavy shots and engage in war on the feet. He threw a mean overhand right, often throwing it to close distance, or throwing it upon exiting the clinch. He even used his right hand to feint an overhand, then using it for an underhook to get a throw or set one up. He launched strikes with complete impunity, knowing that if he got taken down, he had plenty of weapons there too. Karo was a complete grappler, and had an understanding of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and ground positioning. He often transitioned between the two, adding in punches, elbows, and submission attempts. 

    Here’s Karo hitting an Ippon Seoi Nage on fellow Judo practitioner Dong Hyun Kim at UFC 94:

    The Ippon Seoi Nage is a throwing technique. We see Karo use both hands here to pick Stun Gun up by his right arm and throw him over his shoulder, landing on his back. 

    Here he is again using an Ashi Guruma. Karo presses the calf of his lead leg into Josh Burkman’s quadricep muscle, uses his upper body to rotate Burkman, simultaneously flipping him onto the canvas.

    Ninja shit. 

    When Karo faced Matt Serra at UFC 53, he exchanged strikes with Serra before catching a kick and taking him down. He lands heavy shots while postured up. Once Matt is able to get up, Karo follows, landing punches while trying to control his base (notice the slap Karo landed at 0:41 of the round). He then takes Serra’s back and transitioned to mount, all while raining down some serious ground and pound.

    I’d say this clip virtually sums up what the essence of prime Karo Parisyan brought to the table: 

    It’s a shame Karo was plagued by injuries throughout his career. The hamstring injury he sustained when training for a potential title fight with Matt Hughes was the beginning of the end for Parisyan at the top of the food chain, and he would start to decline after his loss to Thiago Alves in 2008. A lifetime of fighting and getting thrown on your head can shorten your body’s window for top level competition. Parisyan’s last fight in the UFC was at UFC 123, when he lost to Dennis Hallman by first round TKO in 2010. He continued to compete in MMA and after a loss to Jose Diaz in 2017 in a comeback fight, he retired for good. What I find most impressive about his skill set is his ability to implement Judo in his fights. Whether he was moving forward or backpedaling, clinching or striking, he found a way to make Judo work within the chaos of combat, at times seemingly at the most unlikely of moments. If you were fighting him, you were never safe, and always had to fight knowing you could get dumped on your head at any time. The chances are remote that we ever see a fighter like Karo Parisyan in MMA ever again.

    References

    Special shout outs to Sonny Brown, whose video on Karo Parisyan helped me write this article.

    1. Sonny Brown. “Judo Throws in MMA – A Study of Karo Parisyan”. YouTube, 2 October 2018, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n9odlO7y9Mg&ab_channel=SonnyBrown. Accessed 10 February 2025.

  • Three Japanese MMA Fighters With More Than 50 Fights

    Three Japanese MMA Fighters With More Than 50 Fights

    Japan has a decorated history when it comes to professional combat. As professional wrestling in Japan slowly transformed into full-on fighting in the late 80s and early 90s, an abundance of Japanese fighters made their way into the fold, from all different backgrounds and Martial Arts. Some of them had short careers spanning 15 or 20 fights, mostly in Japan. Others had long and prestigious careers, enjoying success all over the world. The three fighters I’m discussing here combine for a total of 236 fights, throughout 76 years of experience altogether.

    Yuki Kondo posing on fire

    Photo Courtesy of Giant Bomb

    Yuki “Sora” Kondo

    Record: 65-40-9

    Organizations: Pancrase, PRIDE, UFC

    Division(s): Light Heavyweight, Heavyweight, Middleweight, Openweight

    Yuki Kondo is one of the most underrated fighters to come out of the hybrid wrestling era in 1990s Japan. He has a background in Shorinji Kempo, which is a form of Kung Fu. Despite never having competed before, he decided to train under the legendary Masakatsu Funaki, and made his MMA debut at Pancrase 25 in January of 1996. He has amassed a shocking 114 fights – and I have yet to confirm an official retirement. As of this writing, Yuki’s last fight was on Christmas Eve of 2023, just seven short months ago. Kondo has fought a who’s who across multiple weight classes – names like Paulo Filho, Igor Vovchanchynn, Funaki, Minoru Suzuki, Guy Mezger, Tito Ortiz, Semmy Schilt, Dan Henderson, and Josh Barnett. Yuki did all of this despite walking around at less than 200 pounds. The obvious question is, what is the Kondo’s motivation for competing over 100 times? Simply put, he lived and breathed fighting in a way virtually nobody could ever conceive. He loved to grow and challenge himself as a Martial Artist, and inspire people all over the world to pursue their dream. In doing so, Yuki Kondo has left an everlasting legacy of desire and perseverance.

    Hayato Sakurai posing on fire

    Photo courtesy of Giant Bomb

    Hayato ” Mach” Sakurai

    Record: 38-13-2

    Organizations: Shooto, PRIDE, UFC, DEEP, DREAM

    Division(s): Middleweight, Lightweight, Welterweight

    For the first 5 years of his professional MMA career, Sakurai went undefeated. Winning the Shooto Middleweight Championship in the process, he boasted wins over Frank Trigg, Caol Uno, and Luiz Azeredo. After going 18-0, Anderson Silva dethroned him as the champion, handing Sakurai his first loss. Throughout the late 90s Hayato was one of the absolute best fighters on earth, getting a variety of stoppages such as armbars, toe holds, chokes, and knockouts, including his legendary comeback knockout over Frank Trigg. Post-Anderson Sakurai was still one of the best and most dangerous fights for anyone, taking names like Shinya Aoki, Mac Danzig, and former UFC champions Dave Menne and Jens Pulver. Hayato started as a Judoka but developed a well rounded skill set, favoring flying and jumping knees in the striking. He was an accurate puncher and measured counter striker with explosive speed, and had a dangerous lead hook. Sakurai retired in 2016 after 20 years of competition.

    Akihiro Gono at the UFC 94 weigh-ins

    Photo Courtesy of MMA Junkie

    Akihiro “The Magic Man” Gono

    Record: 37-24-8

    Organizations: Shooto, DEEP, Pancrase, UFC, Sengoku (SRC)

    Division(s): Middleweight, Lightweight, Welterweight

    The Magic Man. The Japanese Sensation. DJ GOZMA. Very few fighters are as ostentatious as Akihiro Gono. Known for his elaborate and often hilarious ring entrances, Gono made a name for himself in Shooto in the late 90s. He debuted in April of 1994 at Lumax Cup, which was the Japanese equivalent to UFC at the time – style versus style matchups. He made his way through the gauntlet of MMA organizations throughout the years – on top of everything listed above, he competed in Bellator, WSOF, RINGS, and even crossed over to kickboxing promotions such as Hero Legends in China, and Krush in Japan. Like Sakurai and Kondo, Gono fought well above his natural weight class – taking on guys like Shogun Rua, Dan Henderson, Chael Sonnen (who he took to a draw), and Denis Kang. Although he came up short against them, he holds wins over Hector Lombard, Crosley Gracie, Hayato Sakurai and Yuki Kondo. His biggest win was undoubtedly his come back against Gegard Mousasi, who had Gono hurt at multiple points during the fight. Akihiro was a spectacle to watch and played many characters when entering the ring, like a Japanese showgirl, or an alter-ego based on Japanese musical artist named DJ Ozma. If you don’t remember Gono for his entrances, you’ll remember him for his fighting style. Akihiro’s background was in Sambo and Karate, which was an uncommon combination in Japan. Like most other fighters during that era, he learned on the job while he was competing as a professional fighter, and developed into a complete fighter. He was a tricky striker, often using deception to distract his opponents before throwing his strikes. He spent a lot of time in the air throwing flying stomps and kicks. And when I say flying, I mean flying. Akihiro Gono never won a world title but if he were to be described as a journeyman; he would be called the enduring, extraordinary, high-flying, ultimate journeyman.

  • Five MMA Fighters That Fought in Multiple Inaugural Events

    Five MMA Fighters That Fought in Multiple Inaugural Events

    The sport of MMA as we know it was born in 1993, which was only 31 measly years ago. Since it’s so young, there is a short history. This makes it easier to look back, especially with the number of organizations we have seen in a brief period of time. With that being said, the majority of fighters have competed under multiple banners throughout their careers. Here are five MMA fighters that have competed in the inaugural event of more than one promotion.

    1. Ken Shamrock

    Organizations: UFC, Pancrase

    Pioneer and Lion’s Den founder Ken Shamrock actually made his MMA debut on September 21st, 1993 at Pancrase’s debut show Pancrase: Yes, We Are Hybrid Wrestlers 1. He faced promotion co-founder and future Japanese star Masakatsu Funaki. Shamrock eventually took him down and mounted him, forcing him to tap to an arm triangle choke. It wasn’t until two months later that he made his now famous debut in the octagon at UFC 1. Since it was a tournament format he fought twice that night, the first was making short work of Pat Smith via heel hook in less than two minutes. The second match-up, which turned into a historic rivalry, was that of Royce Gracie. Although Shamrock couldn’t see himself losing, he tapped due to a gi choke Royce applied. Ken went on become one of the biggest stars in the sport and finished his career with a record of 28-17-2.

    2. Dan Severn

    Organizations: PRIDE, WEC

    In October of 1997, the future UFC Hall of Famer faced UFC veteran and fan favorite Kimo Leopoldo at PRIDE 1. In a largely uneventful 30-minute bout that had even the Japanese crowd uncharacteristically booing, Severn finally secured a takedown in the last minute. That proved to be insufficient, as the fight was ultimately ruled a draw. Fast forward to 2001, The Beast was matched up against Travis Fulton in a rematch at WEC 1: Princes of Pain. Already having beat Fulton once, he was able to take him down early and control top position for majority of the fight. He won the bout via unanimous decision. Dan’s last fight was in 2012, and he finished his long career with a whopping 101 wins. His overall record is 101-19-7.

    3. Eddie Alvarez

    Organizations: Bellator, DREAM

    Before The Underground King ever ventured to the UFC, he was a champion in three organizations. In 2008, DREAM was founded in Japan by former top dogs at PRIDE and K-1. Eddie already had 13 professional fights at this point, having captured the MFC Welterweight Championship earlier in his career. On March 15, 2008, Alvarez competed at DREAM 1, in the opening round of their Lightweight Grand Prix Tournament. He faced notable striker Andre Amade from Chute Boxe Academy. After being dropped by Amade, Eddie recovered. He scored a takedown, then was able to mount Amade and finish him by strikes in the first round. Just a year later, Eddie made a grand entrance at Bellator 1 on April 3, 2009. He faced Greg Loughran, who hurt him early with a left hook. Alvarez came back to submit Loughran with a guillotine choke in the opening minutes of the first round.

    4. Shinya Aoki

    Organizations: DREAM, Rizin

    Although we already have DREAM covered, we’d be remiss to leave out The Grand Master of Flying Submissions. Known as one of the best lightweights outside of the UFC for a very long time, Aoki has competed in many high-level organizations. After 16 professional fights and going undefeated in PRIDE, Aoki also participated in the Lightweight Grand Prix at DREAM’s inaugural event on March 15, 2008. He was matched up against striking veteran Gesias (JZ) Cavalcante. In a bout that largely consisted of Shinya being out struck on the feet, he was frequently on his back, urging Cavalcante to jump into his guard. Later on in the first round, the fight was stopped after Aoki was shooting for a takedown and Gesias landed some controversial elbows. The fight was deemed a no contest. Seven years later, Aoki competed at Rizin Fighting Federation 1 on December 29, 2015. His dance partner was none other than Japanese MMA and Pro Wrestling icon, Kazushi Sakuraba. After a brief exchange, Aoki immediately got a takedown. The entire six-minute fight displayed Aoki landing hard ground and pound from the mount position. Sakuraba’s corner stopped the fight in the first round.

    5. Josh Barnett

    Organizations: Sengoku, Impact FC

    Josh Barnett is a man who has fought all over the world in many premier organizations including the UFC, PRIDE and Strikeforce. He is a former Pancrase and UFC champion. In 2008, the Warmaster himself fought at the inaugural event of Japan’s Sengoku Raiden Championship titled Sengoku First Battle. He faced PRIDE veteran and Judo stylist Hidehiko Yoshida, submitting him with a heel hook in the third round. Barnett later competed at Impact FC 1 on July 10, 2010 against heavyweight KO artist Geronimo Dos Santos. Geronimo had most of his previous fights in Brazil, facing very few quality opponents. Josh got a trip takedown in the opening seconds of the fight, securing mount position almost immediately. He would go on to finish Dos Santos in under three minutes.