Karo Parisyan vs Joe Riggs

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A bit retro but I remember Joe Riggs mentioning that at one point BJ Penn/Matt Hughes/GSP were the three kings of the welterweight division and that he and Karo were close behind them and that a fight between them may happen.

Who do you think would win if they fought back then?
 
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Oddly enough Karo's best fight might have been a decision loss to GSP. Karo was working serious subs while GSP was laying and praying.
 
My favorite Joe Riggs moment was during his interview for the Hughes fight. "Matt Who's?"
That Hughes title shot debacle was sad all the way around. He says yes on a few weeks notice, then Hughes makes him leave camp (they were stable mates), then the scale was off when he weighed in, and they figured it out after he started rehydrating. Then Hughes was such a dick and a bully afterward that he never really came back to the gym full time.

He deserved better.
 
Maybe 08. His back injury forced him out of UFC 88, and that’s when the Oxy’s began.

It’s a damn shame. He was right up there. He sure shit the bed against Diego though.
Karo beat Stun Gun in 2009 though. That's a really good win in retrospect.

Not sure he shit the bed against Diego. That's a pretty legendary fight.
 
Riggs’ boxing and cardio is too good. Joe diesels him for 3 rounds.

Props for recognizing his boxing!

Joe had sick hands, he had a traditional boxing stance and wasn't squared up like others back then.

Obviously Karo. Do you even know who he is, bro?

I swear to god bro, he would toss him on his bro!

My favorite Joe Riggs moment was during his interview for the Hughes fight. "Matt Who's?"

I REMEMBER THAT!!!

I bought the UFC 56 and that line is not there!

Fucking I thought I imagined the whole thing but now here you are mentioning it which means I am not totally crazy!

That Hughes title shot debacle was sad all the way around. He says yes on a few weeks notice, then Hughes makes him leave camp (they were stable mates), then the scale was off when he weighed in, and they figured it out after he started rehydrating. Then Hughes was such a dick and a bully afterward that he never really came back to the gym full time.

He deserved better.

True on all counts+ Billy Rush was having some weird meltdown and was unable to make his meals for him. So no camp+ no Billy+ short notice. Riggs got fucked over big time.
 
Oddly enough Karo's best fight might have been a decision loss to GSP. Karo was working serious subs while GSP was laying and praying.

For straight up performance, his debut against Strasser was flawless, and to out grapple Nick DIaz was quite a feat.

I remember just after the GSP fight everyone was writing off Karo to losing to some nobody, amazing what hindsight can do.

I still wish Karo fought Hughes (Injury), I think he was a great stylistic matchup against hughes



Post Script, Random Karo story.

I went to some judo tournament forever ago, in Norwalk, CA in the finals I did a sumi gaeshi (think the reversal KZ did against poirier) and they gave the ippon to the other guy.

I went and pouted and some random Aremenian dude came up to me and was saying that was a bad call, complimented my matches before, even asked how i set up a specific thing, really made me feel a ton better, we probably chit chatted for well over an hour.

Fast forward a few months or so, Saw UFC 44 I think it was, the following monday went into judo saying to my sensei some guy just mopped the floor with some other guy using really nice judo. "His name was kiro or kero or something..."
Instructor said "Karo" i was like that's it,
He called me a retard and explained that's the guy I was hanging out with at the tournament.

Not partircularly related, I know Karo gets this rap as being a bit of a dick, but he was really kind to me, Good guy.
 
There was a time when Karo was looked at as a high level special talent, never really took off
Could say the same about Riggs, lost to many opponents he shouldn't have but by all the accounts, he was regularly the best fighter in the gym just couldn't put it together. He had high level wrestling and high level boxing for his time and one of the most aggressive ground and pounds I've ever seen but regularly found a way to lose. Still a good fighter but an underachiver.
 
Karo. Because of where the UFC was back then. Wrestling has always been then, but Judo hadn't been solved.
 
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