Parisyan Suspended For Nine Months

by Robert Sargent

After testing positive for banned substances following his UFC 94 bout with Dong Hyun Kim, Karo Parisyan has been suspended for nine months and his victory in the fight has been overturned. He also faces a fine of $32,000 as part of the suspension.

Parisyan (18-5-0, 1 ND) tested positive for Hydrocodone, Hydromorphone and Oxymorphone. Prior to the bout, he was given Percocet painkillers from a friend.

The Split Decision win over Kim at UFC 94 was a questionable one, as most felt that Kim had done enough to win the decision. That will no longer matter, however, as the result of the fight has been ruled a No Decision by the Nevada State Athletic Commission.

Parisyan, who has a well-documented past of panic attacks and injuries, claimed to have a prescription for painkillers stemming from a hamstring injury suffered just prior to his scheduled title fight with Matt Hughes at UFC 56. The injury, which was never repaired, continues to cause pain for him.

A trusted friend supplied Parisyan with Percocet tablets and claimed that they were the same as the drugs prescribed to him. This was not the case, however, and Parisyan's levels of Hydromorphone and Oxymorphone were both found to be exceedingly high.

Though he accepted responsibility for his actions, Parisyan failed to declare the use of painkillers on a pre-fight questionnaire. After the fight, he disclosed his actions to a Nevada State Athletic Commission inspector.


The suspension is one of many in a long list of problems throughout Parisyan's career, but whether the talented Judo fighter can ever return to former glory remains to be seen.