Liddell-Jackson II Headlines UFC 71 Card
Parisyan vs. Burkman
May 24, 2007
Karo
Parisyan (Pictures) vs. Josh Burkman (Pictures)
With Matt Serra (Pictures)'s Buster Douglas-esque upset of Georges St. Pierre (Pictures) having thrown the welterweight division into total disarray, both Karo Parisyan (Pictures) and Josh Burkman (Pictures) are looking to rise above the fray and establish themselves as possible challengers to the throne.
The opportunity is there for the taking; all one of them has to do
is beat out the other in a match that has "fight of the night"
written all over it.
It seems like all Parisyan has done lately is put on wars in just about any card he is a part of. At the tail end of 2006 we saw the 24-year-old from North Hollywood, Calif. put on a pair of instant classics, first in a decision loss to Diego Sanchez (Pictures) and then in a decision win over Drew Fickett (Pictures). It is the all-out style that has come to be associated with the Hayastan Fight Team member, and it is a style that he seems comfortable using.
While Burkman has shown a predilection towards the exciting, thus far it has been more of the one-sided variety. Upon leaving TUF due to an injury sustained in his win over Melvin Guillard (Pictures), Burkman quickly racked up a pair of stunning "blink and you'll miss ‘em" wins over Sam Morgan (Pictures) and the previously mentioned Fickett.
Of late, however, Burkman seems to have lost his magic touch as he was outmatched by Jon Fitch (Pictures) and has gone on to score a couple of decision wins over Josh Neer (Pictures) and Chad Reiner. Certainly nothing to sneeze at but a far cry from the war engine that Burkman appeared to be upon his UFC debut. While the Salt Lake City-based welterweight would love to devise a return to form against Parisyan, the gutsy Armenian is a tough match for anyone.
Of particular interest will be how Burkman's straightforward approach to wrestling will clash with Parisyan's flashy judo throws. We've already seen Parisyan employ his throws against explosive wrestlers like Sean Sherk (Pictures) and Georges St. Pierre (Pictures), so Burkman (8-3-0) will be hard pressed trying to bully Parisyan around the Octagon with wrestling alone.
In fact, it might be wise for Burkman, 27, to avoid the ground altogether considering Parisyan's submission skills and sweeps. Burkman certainly has a strong enough base to corral Parisyan on the ground, but just how long he'd be able to keep that up against a superior grappler is anyone's guess. While both men have shown no fear of the stand-up, their grappling backgrounds often result in them taking matters straight to the ground when things don't go their way. And it is likely that this fight will be decided on the ground.
Burkman will find winning this fight on the ground to be a tall task, as Parisyan's active style will keep Burkman from simply unloading and overwhelming him. How well Burkman will handle working from the bottom should Parisyan manage to land a throw or two will be critical, since Burkman did not do well when Fitch managed to gain the top position against him.
It is that critical weakness that swings this fight in favor of Parisyan, as he will eventually get on top of Burkman and force him into a tight spot. Burkman is far from easy tappings on the ground, but he will be fortunate to come out of such a situation unscathed. Parisyan has had trouble finishing opponents of late and Burkman won't hand him the victory on a silver platter, so look for "The Heat" to outwork his way to a decision win.
With Matt Serra (Pictures)'s Buster Douglas-esque upset of Georges St. Pierre (Pictures) having thrown the welterweight division into total disarray, both Karo Parisyan (Pictures) and Josh Burkman (Pictures) are looking to rise above the fray and establish themselves as possible challengers to the throne.
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It seems like all Parisyan has done lately is put on wars in just about any card he is a part of. At the tail end of 2006 we saw the 24-year-old from North Hollywood, Calif. put on a pair of instant classics, first in a decision loss to Diego Sanchez (Pictures) and then in a decision win over Drew Fickett (Pictures). It is the all-out style that has come to be associated with the Hayastan Fight Team member, and it is a style that he seems comfortable using.
Combining a mind-bending array of judo throws with a cagey
grappling style and a willingness to throw haymakers like they're
jabs, it seems like Parisyan (16-4-0) is perpetually dipping into
his energy reserves and coming up with that little bit extra he
needs.
While Burkman has shown a predilection towards the exciting, thus far it has been more of the one-sided variety. Upon leaving TUF due to an injury sustained in his win over Melvin Guillard (Pictures), Burkman quickly racked up a pair of stunning "blink and you'll miss ‘em" wins over Sam Morgan (Pictures) and the previously mentioned Fickett.
Of late, however, Burkman seems to have lost his magic touch as he was outmatched by Jon Fitch (Pictures) and has gone on to score a couple of decision wins over Josh Neer (Pictures) and Chad Reiner. Certainly nothing to sneeze at but a far cry from the war engine that Burkman appeared to be upon his UFC debut. While the Salt Lake City-based welterweight would love to devise a return to form against Parisyan, the gutsy Armenian is a tough match for anyone.
Of particular interest will be how Burkman's straightforward approach to wrestling will clash with Parisyan's flashy judo throws. We've already seen Parisyan employ his throws against explosive wrestlers like Sean Sherk (Pictures) and Georges St. Pierre (Pictures), so Burkman (8-3-0) will be hard pressed trying to bully Parisyan around the Octagon with wrestling alone.
In fact, it might be wise for Burkman, 27, to avoid the ground altogether considering Parisyan's submission skills and sweeps. Burkman certainly has a strong enough base to corral Parisyan on the ground, but just how long he'd be able to keep that up against a superior grappler is anyone's guess. While both men have shown no fear of the stand-up, their grappling backgrounds often result in them taking matters straight to the ground when things don't go their way. And it is likely that this fight will be decided on the ground.
Burkman will find winning this fight on the ground to be a tall task, as Parisyan's active style will keep Burkman from simply unloading and overwhelming him. How well Burkman will handle working from the bottom should Parisyan manage to land a throw or two will be critical, since Burkman did not do well when Fitch managed to gain the top position against him.
It is that critical weakness that swings this fight in favor of Parisyan, as he will eventually get on top of Burkman and force him into a tight spot. Burkman is far from easy tappings on the ground, but he will be fortunate to come out of such a situation unscathed. Parisyan has had trouble finishing opponents of late and Burkman won't hand him the victory on a silver platter, so look for "The Heat" to outwork his way to a decision win.
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