“Karo Parisyan is kind of like the gatekeeper of the division….”
– UFC President Dana White last night referred to one of the top welterweights in the sport, Karo Parisyan, as a gatekeeper for the 170-pound division during the “UFC Countdown” to 85 hour-long special on Spike TV. White was talking about how impressive it was that Thiago Alves was able to take him out UFC Fight Night 13 and get a crack at Matt Hughes in the main event at “Bedlam” this Saturday in London, England. Perhaps White has a different definition of gatekeeper, but in most circles that is not necessarily a desirable distinction — especially for a fighter who was supposedly knocking on the door to a title shot before the loss and has just three losses in 11 attempts inside the Octagon.
123 Comments »
He’s one hell of a gatekeeper i can tell u that.
Vitor Belfort is training with Chute Box now and will be fighting at the Affliction show!
Danzig will not fight on the UFC 87 card
Gonzaga vs. McCully in the works for UFC 87
Bobby lashley signe3d with the AFL
Great news John, do you know Belfort’s opponent?
If Strikeforce could lend Bobby Southworth to face Vitor, that would be sick.
sucks that danzig not fighting guida. maybee they’ll move guida downt to 145 to fight faber. that would be great.
He was sitting front row at the entrance to the octagon cage during this past weekends WEC event…
Could be on to something here…
it appeared he was in in fabers corner they were together before faber went into the cage
NO. He was sitting there the whole time that I was watching, from 9 – 11:45.
fernando, he was sitting in that seat the whole time.
I was there at Arco, Guida actually walked out with one of the fighters during the preliminaries (don’t recall who), then stayed there at the entrance. I think his camp is back east, Ohio? and he was mainly cheering for Pulver. So who knows, he may go down to 145, they’re both cardio machines. If he stays in UFC, then he won’t get a title shot until late next year at least. That Huerta loss really set him back.
Why no Danzig? Any details?
It said that he just has no plans of competing in august…most likely he will fight in September and the Guida fight is not out of the question…But it wont be taking place in August for Sure!
is danzig injured or what? gonzaga vs. mccully might be a winner stays loser goes situation.
If McCully loses, good riddance forever.
But Gonzaga has loads of potential. However, it would be 3 losses in a row (one being a title fight). I would think that if Gonazaga lost, they would allow him to fight in smaller promotions for a couple fights to get some wins and build his confidence back. No way the UFC should let someone with that much potential in their weakest division go.
VM: totally agree! McCully stinks an g.g. is still the best 1 rnd fighter in the hw division. i joke around alot about that, but its kinda true. lets hope this is a conditioning thing and not a mental factor. gonzaga at times looks like world champ material.
We would all be better Human Beings if we didnt know that Justin mcCully ever existed…Hope Gonzaga can knock his ass over to EliteXC.
Win or Loose, Gonzaga wont be going anywhere. He is still young and he is a Beast (at times), sometimes he looks broken mentally…Hope that isnt the case…The division could really use the Gonzaga that showed up to Kick Cro Cops head back to grappling gracies in Japan, Hope he resurfaces, sooner rather then later.
Agree with matthew. When I think gatekeeper, I think Gary Goodridge during his pride days. I think Elvis Sinosec. I think Eddie Sanchez. I do not think of a top 10 fighter who was just a fight away from getting a title shot
in other words he is about to cut him.
I dont like Karo..He is one of the fighters I always hope to get KTFO, in every fight….
Glad Alves did it..
Dont get me wrong…I just hate the guy cause he is a arrogant dick-head..(personality stinks)
It’s a shame too, because Karo has some good skills…He is hands down the best Judo fighter in the WW division, and probably one of the best (straight)Judo fighters in the UFC…He has mad skills that he translates well in MMa..
I think if he capitalized more in his fights he would get more respect, but he is a very technical fighter that grinds it out most the time..
IMO he lost his last chance at getting a title-shot, and I dont see him making it back up that ladder before the UFC sends him packing..
with that said, I dont think Dana should be calling him a gatekeeper yet…Maybe in a couple fights..
I agree, the fact that he thinks he’s great is a turn off. Not to mention when he was talking about turning down fights for an easy win so he would get a title shot. He’s not even a top 5 UFC ww, but thinks he’s owed a shot…lol!
I agree with both kevin’s and Stagger’s reasons for disliking him, and I’ll add another one. He’s one of those fighters that relies so much on his skills, that recently it seems he has ignored his conditioning. I was appalled at “stomach pooch and love handles” in his last match. Learn how to do a sit’up, run a mile, do something. I thought it was disgraceful for a professional fighter to show up looking like he spent his time training at McDonald’s.
good point!! He looks like me, and the most exercise I get is tossing the football with a six year old.
Damn, Kevin.
Better start doing soem sit-ups, bro. Hahahaha.
lol was in shape last summer, been lazy recently!! good life ya know!!
What really made me not like him was teh scene he made on TUF… getting up in Nate’s face talking about what he did to Nick?!?! It was a SPLIT DECISION, it isn’t like he kicked Nick’s ass.
Hmmmm…I remember someone else talking frequently about activities with a 6 yr old. That’s hilarious, Kevin.
I would define Gary goodridge, Elvis sinosec and Eddie Sanchez as Cans, not gatekeepers. Those guys are just there to get their asses kicked.
Karo isn’t a gatekeeper IMO, he’s not quite a contender in todays 170 division. When I think contender I think Jon Fitch, BJ Penn, and to stretch it Matt Hughes (after his beatdown in December I need to see him beat up Alves to be convinced he’s got a fighting chance). Karo in a cage with todays GSP will be a 2nd round wipeout much like Matt Serra.
This is news?? He is a gatekeeper! He’s overrated, and thinks he’s way better than he really is! He’s a hell of a judo practitioner, other than that, he’s another one of those lay and pray guys!
LOLOLOLOL.
Dana called the person waiting two years for a title shot a gatekeeper. That is awesome. I wish everyone in the UFC would just make fun of Karo everyday. I would love to witness
So know when Mr. “Do you know who I am” asks a punk if they know who he is, they can respond with “Yes, I do. You are the gatekeeper to the WW division. In otherwords, you’ll never get a title shot, nevermind be champ.”
Karo is much more of a chump than he is a champ.
Direct Quote from Bas Rutten
“ People ask me if the fight should have been stopped at the end in the second round, I say YES because those are the rules, it should have been stopped because Kimbo didn’t do anything to improve his situation. But I think what made the ref NOT do it was the fact that Kimbo was giving his thumbs up the whole time to let the referee know that he was OK.
This was the refs decission, not Kimbo’s.” -source: http://basrutten.tv/newskimbo.htm
(the mispelled words are from a quote….not my writing)
pretty bad when even your own guy thinks you lost!!
good stuff! im over it though. elite xc will fold by the end of the year.
Bas just confirming what most MMA fans knew.
IF Thompson had put more power it would have been called then and there.
I blame Thompson for this.
You know you are going to get swerved in favor of the poster boy so you need to finish it while you can.
Pitty pat punches don’t cut it, even if there were about 100 of them in a row.
Hopefully Kimbo will improve because he looks like he is out of his league right now…
you’re a joke bro. the rules don’t say not defending yourself from hard punches, and on top of that those elbows were hard and from a 260 pound man! He took 80 punches/elbows unanswered in a minute. What rules are you talking about?….Oh the Kimbo/elite rules, got it!!
thompson should have went for the full mount, that irked me like hell. he might have stopped him if he had.but the ref pulled him off from side mount and probably would have from the full mount as well. ha!
No it hasnt been mentioned, but I think he will compete on Afflictions 1st card in July
Just stick Kimbo in there with Cabbage and watch each other just punch away!
Might actually be a possability since EliteXC does some shows in Hawaai
Kevin:
I never mentioned rules. Thats the point.
The house was stacked against Thompson.
I knew it. He knew it. MMA fans knew it.
Obviously, you didn’t.
Thompson should have used more power and knocked Kimbo out!
He was playing patty cake w/ Kimbo’s face/forearm/hand. Check the video.
There was no way Shaw was going to let Kimbo lose this fight unless Kimbo lost conciousness.
I was under the impression that it wasn’t Shaw’s call. They put him against a glass jawed opponent, I figured that was enough! Obviously kimbo’s deadly power is a bit overstated.
dood, kimbo v cabbage fight would be sick! i hope they put that together sooner rather than later
The Casual fans would eat that fight up… I can see it NOw:
Cabbage vs. Kimbo in Hawaii!
Remember you heard it here 1st.. John-stradamus strikes again! God that was corney!
Kimbo vs. Butterbean…Dream Fight!!!!
Bas is a straight up dude. I really like him and respect his opinion.
thats why i like Bas, he’s always pretty damn honest.
Bas speaks the truth. I think he is one guy that makes people think that Kimbo can become a true Mixed martial artist. It became overly obvious Saturday that Bas has alot more work cut out for him.
Agreed.
I feel bad for Karo. the guy has never had the belt.
he gets up to title contention and then loses a fight and is knocked off the ladder. I think he would give GSP alot more problems than most would, he just cant seem to keep a winning streak
I have always liked Karo, but I don’t feel bad for him at all. He turned down a fight with Fitch and accepted a fight with Alves because he thought it was an easier fight for him. Carma is a bitch. But as far a “Gatekeeper”, I literally rewinded the show last night to make sure I heard Dana correctly, at first I thought he was talking about Hughes (neither of them should be called gatekeepers, IMO)
If Karo wouldn’t have dodged Fitch he could be looking at a very different situation right now. Fitch walked through Alves and now most feel Alves is now the #1 contender… Burkman is a gatekeeper, as much as I dislike Karo, I’d never consider him a steping stone for WW credibility.
Anyone see any good WW rankings lately?
1-GSP
2-Fitch
3?(Davis/Hughes/Alves/Kos/Swick/Diego/Karo?????
Karo always shows up to his fights with love handles. Maybe if he trained more seriously he would get somewhere.
karo hasn’t evolved at all in his 11 fights though..
He will never beat the kinds of St. Pierre
Dana is right calling him “gatekeeper”
in 8 wins 7 decisions.. that says it all.
Karo: “U know who the F I am?”
Dana: Yeah a Gatekeeper! lmfao!
Why did Dana just throw Karo under the bus like that? Karo is still a young dude….I would not call him a gatekeeper
Are u the Key master? I am the Gatekeeper! lol GhostBusters Baby!
I like Karo, but he is a tough one to lable. I agree he hasn’t evolved to make himself a better fighter, but he is so damb good as he is! His stand up is OK while his throws and ground game are crazy! I know Karo and GSP would be a great fight, with Karo wanting to take it to the ground (especially after his lose) and GSP’s spraw whould make for an exciting dual. At the same time, there are others at 170lbs that need a shot – Fitch & Thiago (after he beats up Hughes). Or maybe have Fitch vs. Thiago to see who fights GSP for the strap? That would be to much time for GSP not to fight…then the talks of GSP going up to fight the Spider…who knows. I will be watch every fight though.
Apparently nobody told you that Fitch is fighting GSP for the title on UFC 87, but if Alves wins, he should fight the winner of that fight.
oh g*d, are you a member of the space program who just came back on earth?
Karo losing to Diego and Alves definitely makes him a gatekeeper.
i agree with this comment. i dont think anyone thinks karo’s gonna beat gsp anytime soon. i also dont think its a knock to call him a gatekeeper. dana is saying you gotta beat him for a chance to move up to contender status, kinda like burkman.
Fitch is already scheduled to fight GSP bro.
Ah, Karo “Title Shot” Parysian. Every time his name is mentioned something to do with a title shot is mentioned. I don’t know why – he’s never done anything to merit one. Hughes would have dominated him. GSP would crush him. Karo is destined to be a mid-carder for his career. Not a bad place to be, but a title-holder he’s not. He would have been great 5-6 years ago.
I agree. He is very overrated in my opinion. Karo was supposed to be the sh!t, but Diego Sanchez tore him up good. After that he really hasnt had any title shot worthy wins over any top title contenders. He always looks out of shape in his fights too. Maybe its just genetics. Plus the guy is a prick that thinks he’s way better than he really is. He may be great in a judo match, but he’s barely above average in MMA.
BOYCOTT ELITE XC!
Yes my young Padawan, BOYCOTT Elite XC!
Nope. I liked Lawler v. Smith, that was a barnburner!!!!
Looking forward to Lawler/Smith 2?
I agree man, but I will never watch an Elite XC event again. Lawler and all the Caesar Gracie guys need to bail and fight elsewhere. They are too good for that sh!t. Granted Lawler isnt like Lawler back in the day, but I still like to watch him fight.
I’m still a fan of Lawler, Smith, Carano, Diaz, Noons, Rua, Thompson and Edwards and wish them all the best of luck, but I will never watch a Elite XC event again. Gary Shaw is killing MMA.
Damn..that’s gotta hurt coming from the president..lol
LOL……just remember back when dana was bashing karo…..now hes a gatekeeper and because alves beat him he gets a shot at hughes?. I have no problem with alves at all he deserves this shot but to say he earned it by beating karo?..Dana your such an freaking idiot….you seem like your starting to crack under pressure!
Karo is young..got skills..got good market value in mma..acts like like dick..I don’t know how you go from border line title contention..to the ” gatekeeper “..whatever. it’s Dana’s world.
This label will change if he can put together two or three straight wins. Then he back to title contender. Even though many of his fights go to a decision they are still very entertaining.
i think what dana white meant is that he is a gatekeeper not for the whole division but for who is the real deal or not…the way he said it, i think ppl are taking it outta context
The scouts for UFC have a good idea who the real deals are. Karo will be whoever Dana says he will be and right now its gatekeeper.
haha Dana is two faced bastard….If he sees karo he’ll probably be like ….Oh karo what I mean was uhh..you know you’re one of the best and I’m being and ASS and didn’t mean it like that” lol so
Karo lacks the will to train. So he will never hold the belt unless he is putting it around someone elses waist.
If Karo would take every fight seriously, and come in with the best shape then you know what, nobody could beat him. But he doesnt take every fight seriously and he loses.
He kinda reminds me of the old BJ, tons of talent and no work ethic. I don’t see him ever stepping up his training so he will always be a B level fighter.
It just goes to show…be nice with people.
Seriously, if Karo was not such a dick do you think he would be referred to as a gatekeeper?
Politics are everywhere, especially in MMA.
Just ask Mr. Slice.
I completely agree. Be a prick…get treated like one.
Kudos to Dana for sticking it to that prick.
gsp already beat karo… gsp has improved leaps and bounds since then… karo is pretty much just a stronger version of the same fighter… and more experienced… he deserves all the cr*p he’s going through cause he wanted more “guaranteed” (lol) wins so that he could “get his title shot”… he never really seemed to want to fight and beat the best… he just wanted a path of least resistance to get that title shot… that’s what you get for ducking competition… gsp lost the title and fought kos and then took hughes at short notice… fitch fights anyone they throw in front of him… as do kos and sanchez… alves loses to fitch and is happy to fight anyone after that… someone that ducks competition shouldn’t get a title shot in the first place… he would have had more respect had he just fought and lost to fitch.
I smell Karo REALLY getting pissed off about this…
would love for him to storm into dana’s office and do the whole “do you know who the f*** i am bro?”
LOL, exactly.
like i’ve said before, talent can’t win you everything, you have to have cardio and conditioning, just ask bj penn, he wasn’t the top notch champion caliber fighter, that he is now, until he did the work in the gym.
If karo cut weight and did the extra work he could get 155 easy.
Look at virtually every other good mma fighter, they all share one thing in common, no xtra weight to carry around, not only does it hurt your cardio, but you end up in a heavier division.
I don’t like karo, I like to watch him fight, but i think as a 155 guy he’d still get steamrolled by penn,huerta,griffin,florian,sherk maybe guida.
170 he is middle of the pack which puts him @ gatekeeper.
Just watch the sanchez-karo fight, gotta love the tooth waving hello.
karo would never lose to florian ever
Florian has much better stand up and tight Jiu-jitsu. If Karo got rid of that pudge he might make 155. That would be a fun match up.
hes the gatekeeper……..and I am the clit commander
LMAO! Best comment of the week!
shamo had a great point, 8 fights 7 decisions.
fun to watch him through the amateurs around but hey there is hundreds of judo,aikido,hapkido masters that could amaze you by the stuff they do, but to a professional fighter you can’t just clinch and toss, thats why in the earlier days karo looked so good.
I could look like a studd too, if you gave me cans to toss around.
One fight i would like to watch as a re-match is the matt serra- karo fight.
I think now would be a great time too, maybe after the hughes-serra fight…
should have said “throw” the amateurs around
Karo is still one of my favourite fighter and one of the most exciting in the division as far as I am concerned although he can be a bit of an ass at times. I would never call him a lay and pray fighter as someone did above, he is far from that did you watch him fight GSP,DIAZ,SERRA or SANCHEZ. Is it a fact that he turned down a fight with Fitch. I remember him saying that he would rather not fight Fitch as he thought that this could jepordise his chance of a title shot, which I thought was a valid and fair comment, but was he actually offered a fight with Fitch and turn the offer down?
GUys who has GSP beat via KO or Knock out? Now ask youself did Karo go to Decision with him…
Is it just me or does everyone think TKO and Submissions are the Be all and end all of every fight. Sometimes the best fights are just that wars of control and pressure.
Karos fights are never boring. Make him fight Kos, swick or even Diego again. Diego’s fight would not exactly raise his stocks, but a win over Kos should.
He will end up fighting Fitch right after GSP KO’s him via G n’ P.
Mark my words.
Gate Keeper maybe to the top 5 in the division but not to the division itself…
problem is he wouldn’t beat either guy!!
hahaaahhahahaahah MMA newbs….
for ur info, GSP first fight in the ufc was with karo… and gsp beat him
fith is fighting gsp next
if alves win, hes next in line…
and supposedly marcus davis is somewehre in the toss up but not for certain
I meant diego or kos!
does anyone have a video clip of karo doing his whole “you know who the f*** i am”???
I was shocked when I heard Dana say that, too. When I think of a gatekeeper, I think of Tito Ortiz. Haha, yeeeeeep.
man i could swear i see guys sticking up for karo, who usually knock him every chance they can get. or is the just another way to take a stab at dana. my head is still probably foggy from sat night and all the conspracies. lol!
conspirisies? (spelling?)
Well if you think a out it….Karo is somewhat of a gatekeeper of the 170 lbs division. It is not his fault though he was a contender for the title against hughes but he got injured and they replace him with Joe Riggs. Karo said he was promised a title shot after his injury but never got it. So….he is a gatekeeper in the sense that if anyone defeats him they look good but if he loses he has to start over. I’d rather see him agianst Hughes than Alves…..I also think it would be a better marketing tool for the UFC. I think the UFC can wants to make a new star in Alves the same way they made Rich ‘Ace’ Franklin. Hughes dosent have a chance I think.
Karo is sort of the gatekeeper. Sad to say, but that’s the truth. He’s lost to the top guys but wold destroy everyone under the top 3 imo.
Dana knows what he’s saying. Karo is a gatekeeper, he is pretty far away from a title shot right now. A win over Alves would have helped him but instead he got knocked out. There is nobody to blame but himself and his team.
There are many types of gatekeepers.
A gatekeeper is like a level.
Beating Karo, you advance through to the upper echelon of the division and into title contention.
Rich Franklin is the gatekeeper to Anderson Silva.
It is what it is. In a pretty deep welterweight division, he appears to be about gatekeeper level. Inability to finish, and a 1-3 record vs. WW’s of top 10 reconginition kind of says he is probably not talented enough to seriously challange for title. Having said that, he is still young….which implies he has time to change his fate, but he has to do something different, expand his skills, etc. because right now, I think Dana called it right.
karo should have been born 6 or so years earlier, theres too much talent around now for him to get the recognition his judo deserves, though im glad hes around know so we get to watch him get KTFO. dudes a prick
Karo will never compete on a consitent basis agianst the top guys until he takes his cardio really serious. He is very skilled and has a ton of potential, but needed to get his body and cardio at a higher level.
Give Marcus Davis a title shot!!!
once he ko’s swick he should fight thiago alves in an eliminator fight, davis is on like an 11 or 12 fight win streak and is a beast.
Bro Bro
If Alves and Davis both lose, who gets the next title shot? It wouldn’t be Swick. Anyone?
in case you didnt markg, davis fought alves long time ago in a different organization. he lost that fight to alves, but i think he can beat alves if they rematch…. but its gonna be a nice match since both with stand and trade hits with each other
all i can say is…
poor karo…
he’s been due for a title shot for years…
Vitor Belfort will probably be fighting under 185 pounds
This is a snide and off comment by Dana White. The 2 guys most recently who where in line for a title shot(up until Karo’s last fight with a stoppage a lot of people myself included thought was rushed) are Karo and Jon Fitch. Fitch’s win streak is bs, when brought up as the main reason. His best two victories where against Thiago Alves, a decision, and Diego Sanchez which was very close. Karo has beat Nick Diaz,Matt Serra,Drew Fickett, had a back and forth brawl with Diego, and beat Ryo Chonan. He is more deserved his title shot than the other ago. And this is such a stupid thing for Dana to say. Karo is 26 now entering the prime of his career. Why would you want to put unfair pressure on him. Gatekeepers are guys who are probably not top 10. Not guys whou are right in line with a select few for a title shot.
Fitch TKO’d Alves. Also, I was at the Diego fight and it shouldn’t have been a split decision. Fitch controlled the entire fight except for a couple of choke attempts.
GREAT point of view point of view by “Payaam” EXACTLY!!! Just waite these goes for the stupid hatters casue will SEE what happens next and dana’s mouth is going to get shut karo is gonna step in the octogon as a whole new fighter!!!
All I have to say KARO ROCKSSSSSSSSSS!!!! Dana white you’re gonna eat your words..
Haha Dana loves sucking on fighters and then shows his true colors on national TV… He told karo in an interview that its “cause of you karo we make so much money” “and you’re MONEY for the ufc always exciting no matter what” lol Dana is two faced bastard at least karo’s STRAIGHT up and tells is like it is his honest and lot of people love that about him he ain’t FAKE like some other fighters to put on a fake impression or be all hugging on the fans lol…Hate him or love him but his ALWAYS gonna be respected cause of his actions in the octagon and whoever steps in that octagon deserves the same respect!! This ain’t a personality issue we pay the watch NON-STOP ACTION which karo always brings the HEAT!!!
Dana loves karo…but his also two faced lol but he probably didn’t mean it in a bad way.. Still hate Dana White!!!
Karo Parisyan is the most gifted fighter in the ufc period..
21 years old karo parisyan first entered the octagon and destroyed Dave strasser 32 years old and received the TAPE OUT OF THE NIGHT…And also changed the style of fighting and adopted his Judo successfully in MMA…Kudos for that his one of the most exciting fighter’s in the ufc..Dana being Dana what else is new lol
Karo beat Thiago ASS in the first round and got caught with a knee in the second 3 cheap shots on his ARM and it gets stopped which he was NEVER OUT and that’s a FACT I’m sure whoever knows MMA deeply and I ain’t talking about the stupid hatters, knows what’s up…WTF..Karo is a tough dude has taken tougher punches and been fighting since the age of 14 with grown ass man!! Mazgaritti is an IDIOT. Thiago killed Hughes who’s suppose to be a “legend” lol karo REMACTH you had it!!!!! REMACTH!!! Make it happen Dana don’t been an ASS lol
People should also know that karo beat sherks but in his early carrier. People say “he lost” lol cmonn karo kicked his ass in the first fight and he was only 18 years old it was a crazy fight and sherk didn’t do shit I saw the whole fight. karo kicked him in the head he was bleeding and also controlled the whole fight on his feet. I don’t know how STUPID the judges were or they were on crack lol cause the only thing sherk did was hanging on karo’s feet lol..Mann I’m gonna put that fight on youtube It wasn’t easy finding that fight but it was a crazy fight like always when karo’s in and that shit going on youtube..Sherk LOST the first fight karo killed him and if you have eyes than judge it yourselves If people haven’t seen the fight that’s when they say karo lost by paper lol.
“I completely agree. Be a prick…get treated like one.
Kudos to Dana for sticking it to that prick”.
“Silo” you’re a DUMBASS without a doubt, when dana says his sort of a “gatekeeper” that’s NOT a bad thing in his book retard lol karo is still a top five you have to beat him to be in the top 3..So you can relax and shut the F*** up cause you don’t make any sense!!!
Dana may have said that karo is LIKE a “gatekeeper” but he certainly has a different definition for it and its not a bad thing in his book so all you uneducated hatters can go to hell hahah..Dana also mentioned that karo is one of the most respected fighter’s in the UFC during the Hughes/Alves fight…
Dude karo still KICKED Diaz’s sorry ASS it doesn’t matter if it was split decesion he still KICKED HIS ASSSSSSS and made a great fight!!!