Karo Parisyan’s painkiller addiction costs him his UFC career

By now you’ve probably heard that Karo Parisyan has pulled out of his UFC 106 bout with Dustin Hazelett and effectively ended his career with the UFC. The news broke yesterday with a few pretty self-explanatory Twitter comments from UFC president Dana White.

Speculation immediately started. Did he fail a drug test? Did he have another anxiety attack? Parisyan was coming off a drug suspension (painkillers) and has had severe anxiety issues, so both theories were reasonable, but I chose to let the dust settle rather than weigh in. What could I add to the conversation except more uninformed rumours?

Now, I’m just going to point you to a story on Five Ounces of Pain that explains Parisyan’s pull-out, which apparently is due to an addiction to painkillers. It’s unfortunate that this one-time welterweight contender is seeing his career slip away. As for Hazelett, his return to action will have to wait, although he will receive his fight purse and the win bonus, which is some consolation, I suppose.