Karo “The Heat” Parisyan is an Armenian born mixed martial artist who moved to America at the age of six and began training judo at the age of nine and was competing in freestyle fighting against fully grown adults when he was only fourteen years of age. He was trained by the legendary Gokor Chivichyan and “Judo” Gene LeBell at the Hayastan
Antonio McKee and Jason “Mayhem” Miller in MMA and was focusing on the 2004 Olympic Judo trials before he got the call-up from the UFC. In this
Ippon Seoi Nage
We will start
Seoi Otoshi
Seoi
Harai goshi
The Harai
used to sweep their legs out from underneath them in a sudden motion.
Osotogari
Osotogari or major outer reaping is a leg throw performed by stepping outside the leg of your opponent and cutting down on the back of their leg taking it out from underneath them. Although in practice when used by Karo in the UFC it often ended up looking more like a Harai
Ashi Guruma
The Ashi
Uchi Mata
The Uchi
throw while simultaneously working towards an Ude Garami grip on
Osoto Makikomi
The Ude Garami, Kimura or double wrist lock was an attack that was also often
Harai Makikomi
Harai
Hikikomi Gaeshi
Another use of the Kimura is with the Hikikomi
Kouchi Gari & Kosoto gari
The Kouchi gari or small inner reaping that consists of off balancing the opponent by pushing them and reaping their heel in a decisive scooping motion and the Kosoto gari which is a small outer reap which also consists of scooping the opponent’s leg sending them to the mat.
Ōuchi Gari
The Ōuchi gari or large inner reap which is executed by moving straight into the opponent’s chest and then performing a leg reap from the inner side swinging the reaping foot in a half circle in order to spread the opponent’s legs destabilize their balance and throw mthem onto their back.
Kosoto Gake
The
Kibisu Ggaeshi & Kuchiki Taoshi
The Kuchiki
Morote Gari
And the Morote gari or two hands reap which is performed by grabbing both of the opponent’s legs with both of your arms while driving forward and throwing them onto their back this technique is the Judo version of the
Sukui Nage
A Sukui Nage or scooping throw is executed when during a Morote
the mat. In MMA this was often performed by him when pressed against the fence.
Karo the Pioneer fo Judo in MMA
While spending most of his career training at Hayastan Academy with Gokor Chivichyan He also spent time at Team Punishment, training with Neal Melanson and at Xtreme Couture and during his time competing in mixed martial arts Kara became the WEC welterweight champion, the UFC welterweight number one contender, a Bellator veteran and winner of the 2006 fight of the year with Diego Sanchez. Although Judokas were fighting MMA in Japan at the time when Karo began fighting in the UFC Judo was severely underrepresented and somewhat dismissed by North American fans as a traditional martial art that may not hold any value for the future of freestyle fighting. But when Karo began to literally throw opponents on their heads he certainly changed that opinion. He paved the way for countless other Judokas in the UFC, gaining respect for the art by successfully adapting it and showcasing its effectiveness under the mixed martial arts rule set. And that concludes our look at the use of judo in MMA through the lens of the career and legacy of Karo Parisyan.
References
Parisyan, K., Krauss, E. and Cordoza, G. (2008). Judo for Mixed Martial Arts. Calif.: Victory Belt.
Harai-goshi (Hip sweep: http://www.judo-ch.jp/english/dictionary/technique/nage/kosi/harai/
Ashi-guruma (Leg wheel: http://www.judo-ch.jp/english/dictionary/technique/nage/asi/asiguruma/
Uchi-mata (Inner-thigh reaping throw): http://www.judo-ch.jp/english/dictionary/technique/nage/asi/utimata/
Osoto-makikomi (Large outside wraparound throw): http://www.judo-ch.jp/english/dictionary/technique/nage/yoko/oosotomaki/
Harai-makikomi (Hip sweep wraparound throw): http://www.judo-ch.jp/english/dictionary/technique/nage/yoko/haraimaki/
Sumi-gaeshi (Corner throw): http://www.judo-ch.jp/english/dictionary/technique/nage/masute/sumigaesi/
Kosoto-gari (Small outer reap: http://www.judo-ch.jp/english/dictionary/technique/nage/asi/kosotogari/
Ouchi-gari (Large inner reap: http://www.judo-ch.jp/english/dictionary/technique/nage/asi/ooutigari/
Kuchiki-taoshi (One-hand drop: http://www.judo-ch.jp/english/dictionary/technique/nage/te/kutikitaosi/
Kibisu-gaeshi (Heel trip): http://www.judo-ch.jp/english/dictionary/technique/nage/te/kibisugaesi/
Osotogari: https://judoinfo.com/quiz0297_3/
Harai Goshi: Sweeping Hip Throw: https://judoinfo.com/haraigo/
Ko Uchi Gari: https://judoinfo.com/kouchi/
Seoi-Otoshi (hand technique): http://kodokanjudoinstitute.org/en/waza/digest/03/
Ippon Seoinage (One Arm Shoulder Throw: https://judoinfo.com/ippon-seoinage/
Kibisu-gaeshi (Heel trip): http://www.judo-ch.jp/english/dictionary/technique/nage/te/kibisugaesi/
Morote-gari (Two-hands reap): http://www.judo-ch.jp/english/dictionary/technique/nage/te/morotegari/
Kosoto Gake (Small Outer Hook): https://judoinfo.com/kosoto-gake/
Hikikomi gaeshi: http://www.judo-ch.jp/english/dictionary/technique/nage/masute/hikikomi/
Beyond Grappling – The difference between kuchiki taoshi and kibisu gaeshi.: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gxTqi1NWPas
Grappling Central Podcast – Episode 030 – Karo Parisyan: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AVPqnbHh0eQ
SUMI GAESHI AND HIKKOMI GAESHI A COMPARISON: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ezjswwlXlBo
Combat Life: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKndpk8BdD0Isine6zHoDfw