NSAC issues Karo Parisyan nine-month suspension; UFC 94 win overturned
LAS VEGAS - Despite listening to the fighter's emotional defense and pleas for leniency, the Nevada State Athletic Commission today issued Karo Parisyan a nine-month suspension and $32,000 fine due to his failed UFC 94 drug test.
Additionally, his Jan. 31 split-decision victory over Dong Hyun Kim has been overturned and ruled a no-contest, and Parisyan will be subject to stricter drug testing for future fights.
Parisyan represented himself at today's hearing, which took place at the Grant Sawyer State Office Building in Las Vegas.
Following his victory over Kim, the 26-year-old Parisyan tested positive for the prescription painkillers hydrocodone, hydromorphone and oxymorphone, all of which are banned substances.
The commission voted unanimously in favor of the punishment, which included a 40 percent fine of his $80,000 UFC 94 fight purse ($40,000 to show and $40,000 win bonus). He'll also be required to pass a drug test before he's licensed to return to competition and is subject to random testing.
The half-hour-long hearing often became emotional for Parisyan, who was on the verge of tears on multiple occasions. The veteran fighter also appeared before the commission on Feb. 17, when Parisyan's temporary suspension was addressed. The fighter hoped to receive his punishment at the February meeting, though the commissioners told him he'd have to wait until March for the formal hearing.
"I've got to come back (in March), and if they take my money and [heavily] fine me, I won't make it until the end of the year," Parisyan told MMAjunkie.com (
www.mmajunkie.com) after the February meeting. "It's that bad for me with income. If they won't level with me, it's going to be pretty hard for me.
"[Fighting] is the only way I have to support my family. If I don't fight, I'm going to be homeless by the end of the year. I'm going to try to get married in August. If I don't fight and I get fined, my entire year -- everything I was supposed to do -- will just go down the toilet. Between my marriage and my house, I'll lose everything if [they] take my money away."
At today's hearing, commissioners wanted to know the reasons for his failed test.
Parisyan had a prescription for Norco (a combination of hydrocodone and acetaminophen), though he didn't disclose it in a pre-fight medical questionnaire. Parisyan said he has been prescribed the drug for approximately three years because of a hamstring injury he suffered while training for an eventually canceled title fight with then-champ Matt Hughes in 2005.
Parisyan said he received two Percocet pills, which are similar to Norco, from a friend when he arrived in Las Vegas for UFC 94. Parisyan said he accidentally left his Percocet pills at home.
When asked why he didn't disclose the medications before the fight, Parisyan said he "forgot."
Commission representatives said they were concerned that Parisyan's high levels of the drugs -- he tested positive for 3,551 ng/mL of oxymorphone and 4,654 ng/mL of hydrocodone -- masked his pain during the fight and possibly gave him an unfair advantage.
On Monday, the eve of Parisyan's hearing, NSAC Executive Director Keith Kizer said that fighter's defense wasn't likely to sway any commission members toward giving him a light sentence.
"Karo filed a response that said basically that he did everything but (that) he didn't violate any of the (NSAC) rules because he had a prescription, which to me is not a defense to it," Kizer told MMAjunkie.com. "Your doctor doesn't decide what's prohibited or not. The commission does.
"There's two ways to look at. First off, 99 percent of fighters are over 21. That doesn't mean they can drink and fight. Alcohol is a prohibited substance. They can drink a week before the fight. They can drink after the fight. But they can't drink and get in the ring if they have alcohol in their system. The second way to look at it is there are situations where the fighter might be able to take something, but he needs to tell us in advance. That's why we ask on our pre-fight questionnaire, 'Have you taken any prescription medication in the last 15 days?' He put, 'No.' Now he's saying, 'Oh, I forgot.'"
Parisyan (18-5), a 10-year vet who first fought professionally as a 16-year-old, first joined the UFC in 2003. He's 8-2 (with one no-contest) in his past 11 fights, though an April 2008 loss to Thiago Alves derailed his shot at a welterweight title.
