Former top welterweight contender Karo Parisyan returned last night inside the octagon when he faced MMA iron man, Dennis Hallman on the nights preliminary portion of the pay-per-view event. UFC 123, which took place in the suburbs of Detroit at the Palace of Auburn Hills, played host to a trilogy completed, a light heavyweight title eliminator put in the books, and now the quick return and exit of "The Heat". As fast as Karo was invited back into the octagon, he was quickly dispatched. Some may remember UFC President Dana White ranting about the million different ways that Parisyan had betrayed him both on a personal and professional level with his antics inside the UFC, namely pulling out of a scheduled match up against Dustin Hazelett at UFC 106. Since the incident, Karo had been removed from the organization roster, but later returned when he picked up a win outside the promotion. ...

What a strange, strange trip it’s been for Karo Parisyan. Parisyan debuted in the UFC over seven years ago, and at one time was viewed as a serious threat and a possible UFC Welterweight Champion. The strength of Parisyan’s judo has led him to hold both a four-fight and a three-fight win-streak while inside the sport’s biggest promotion and while facing some of its best competition. However, Parisyan’s tumultuous personal life (which included battling both panic attacks and a rumored addiction to painkillers) ultimately led to his exile from the UFC, to the point where UFC President Dana White once famously stated that Parisyan would never fight in the UFC again. However, Parisyan has recently been granted another second chance, and according to the man himself, he’s back to his old self and more than ready to make the most out of this opportunity. ...

In a duel between former champions, light heavyweight's Quinton "Rampage" Jackson and Lyoto Machida are now officially set to face each other later this month, serving as the headliners for UFC 123. The 11-bout card has been made official by the promotion today, including two-televised Spike TV bouts serving as the lead in for what is shaping up to be a good night of fights. Along with the highly anticipated light heavyweight match up, a pair of former welterweight champion's are set to face one another for a third time in order to put to rest a rivalry that has lasted for over 7 years, when BJ Penn meets UFC Hall of Famer, Matt Hughes in the co-main event of the evening. ...

With its main event being a Light Heavyweight super-fight between former UFC Light Heavyweight Champions Lyoto Machida and Quinton Jackson, fans have a lot to look forward to when it comes to the upcoming UFC 123 in Detroit. It was recently announced that fans can also look forward to the UFC return of Karo Parisyan, the man whose Judo throws are the best, best throws in the world. “The Heat” was once a top-ranked Welterweight fighter inside the UFC and a Welterweight Champion in the WEC. This recent announcement comes as a bit of a shock, given the fact that Dana White once famously tweeted that Karo Parisyan would never again fight in the UFC. ...

"McLovin" Dustin Hazelett (15-4) is a fast rising star in the UFC and will be facing KO artist "Semtex" Paul Daley (19-9-2) at UFC 108 tonight. Dustin has made a name for himself by getting awarded three "Submission of the Night" honors coming by way of amazing set ups. Dustin joined myself and Gary Friedman live on MMA Gospel Radio to discuss this fight, his future in the sport and much more. MMA Gospel Radio (MGR): We are excited to have you on the show. You are on of the biggest up and coming fighters right now. Everyone is talking about Dustin Hazelett. You earned your black belt under Jorge Gurgel, you have three submission of the night honors. People see you as a jiu jitsu guy. Tell me about your stand up game because I know you have been working on it. ...

"I've tried to help [“The Heat” Karo Parisyan (18-5)] several times," UFC President Dana White told MMA Junkie Radio last weekend. ...

The first thing UFC welterweight prospect "McLovin" Dustin Hazelett (11-4) told Fighters.com Thursday evening when I called him for comment on his scheduled UFC 106 opponent “The Heat” Karo Parisyan's (18-5) apparent withdrawal from their fight due to a recurring anxiety disorder was, "I just hope Karo gets the help he needs." ...

The remaining bouts for UFC 106 on November 21 in Las Vegas Nevada are now finalized, the UFC announced today. Topping the bill is the return of former UFC light heavyweight champion "Huntington Beach Bad Boy" Tito Ortiz (15-6-1) as he is set to face former UFC light heavyweight champion Forrest Griffin (16-4) in a rematch of the 2006 fight that was Griffin's first loss in the UFC. ...

UFC welterweights “Heat” Karo Parisyan (18-5) and “McLovin’” Dustin Hazelett (15-4) will fight at UFC 106 at Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas November 21, the UFC officially announced Saturday. ...

UFC welterweights "Heat" Karo Parisyan (18-5) and "McLovin'" Dustin Hazelett (15-4) have agreed to fight at UFC 106 in Las Vegas 21 November, according to MMA Weekly. And, according to "Mayhem" Jason Miller (22-5) in a forum post, "I'm set to take on Jake Shields for the middleweight championship of the world in Strikeforce." Fighters.com was not able to verify either fight. ...

Fighters.com's September Welterweight Rankings was denied a potential breakout match-up in Atlanta 6 September when "The Heat" Karo Parisyan (18-5) bailed on his fight versus ninth-ranked "Zenko" Yoshiyuki Yoshida (10-2) with a back injury...or something. Yoshida has stoppages of Katsuya Inoue (16-6-3) and Akira Kikuchi (16-4); but, few this side of the Pacific (besides you and I) know how impressive that is. A good showing versus physically and technically tough Parisyan would've put him on North American radar too. Fighters.com has developing information that another anticipated fight, between sixth-ranked "Terror" Matt Serra (9-5) and seventh-ranked Matt Hughes (42-7), is unlikely to ever happen.  More on that as it develops. Fighters.com's Welterweight Champion "Rush" Georges St. Pierre (17-2) will fight Fighters.com's Lightweight Champion "Prodigy" B.J. Penn (13-4-1) in Las Vegas 31 January. ...

Fighters.com's ninth-ranked welterweight "Zenko" Yoshiyuki Yoshida (10-2) told Fighters.com that the difference between he and scheduled opponent "The Heat" Karo Parisyan (18-5) is that "Zenko" finishes fights; but, evidently, another difference is that Yoshida starts fights too.  Parisyan bailed Friday morning due to a back injury that must've been suffered Thursday night. This interview is still interesting since the rising 170-pounder hasn't had much American media exposure.  Meet "Zenko"! ...

After Fighters.com's Welterweight Champion "Rush" Georges St. Pierre (17-2) defended his title from then top contender Jon Fitch (17-3) in Minneapolis 9 August, who better to challenge him next than...Fighters.com's Lightweight Champion "Prodigy" B.J. Penn (13-4-1)? On the gutsy unanimous decision loss, Fitch dropped three ranks to fifth in August's rankings.  However, to those who've called Fitch St. Pierre's "toughest challenge", Fighters.com reminds them that sixth-ranked "Terror" Matt Serra (9-5) knocked St. Pierre out in the first round in Houston 7 April, 2007. In fact, it was obvious in the stand-up exchanges between St. Pierre and Fitch that the 2007 knockout remains in the forefront of St. Pierre's mind as St. Pierre was more cautious than he had been in previous fights. But, rather than St. Pierre match-up versus Penn, Fighters.com would rather sanction a title fight between St. Pierre and the winner of the match-up between Fighters.com's new top contender "Pitbull" Thiago Alves (15-3) and seventh-ranked "Nightmare" Diego Sanchez (18-2) to be fought in Chicago 25 October. ...

The UFC officially announced three fights Wednesday for its 6 September card in Atlanta: • a previously reported light heavyweight bout between Fighters.com’s second-ranked middleweight “Ace” Rich Franklin (23-3) and “Hammer” Matt Hamill (4-1); • a rumoured welterweight bout between tenth-ranked “Zenko” Yoshiyuki Yoshida (10-2) and “The Heat” Karo Parisyan (18-5); • a middleweight bout between “Hollywood” Dan Henderson (22-7) and “Toquinho” Rousimar Palhares (8-1). Yoshida, who won his last nine fights, made his UFC debut in May with a 56-second submission over “War Machine” Jon Koppenhaver (5-2). Parisyan will look to come back from a second-round TKO loss to third-ranked “Pitbull” Thiago Alves (15-3) at Fight Night 13 in April. Henderson, a former PRIDE Middleweight and Light Heavyweight Champion, was submitted via second-round rear naked choke by UFC and Fighters.com’s Middleweight Champion “Spider” Anderson Silva (22-4) in March. Palhares is looking for his seventh consecutive win. In May he submitted Ivan Salaverry (13-7) via armbar in round one. ...

Fighters.com confirmed Tuesday that UFC lightweight contender “El Matador” Roger Huerta (20-1-1) and welterweight “The Heat” Karo Parisyan (18-5) will join the all-star cast at Jackson's MMA in Albuquerque. Jackson's is already home to Fighters.com's sixth-ranked light heavyweight "Dean of Mean" Keith Jardine (13-4-1), WEC featherweight title contender "Bad Boy" Leonard Garcia (11-3), and light heavyweight "Sugar" Rashad Evans (11-0-1). Welterweight Champion "Rush" Georges St. Pierre (16-2) also makes regular tune-ups in Albuquerque with Greg Jackson and his crew. Jackson's publicist Ricky Schroder confirmed the commitment of Huerta and Parisyan early Tuesday morning, but would not discuss any more details. Huerta will finish training for his 9 August lightweight challenger dispute with seventh-ranked "KenFlo" Kenny Florian (9-3) in Albuquerque. Parisyan is rumored to be matched versus tenth-ranked welterweight "Zenko" Yoshiyuki Yoshida (10-2) 6 September in Atlanta. ...

By Jon Grilz “I would love a shot at [Yushin] Okami,” exclaimed Fighters.com’s ninth-ranked welterweight “The Goat” Nick Thompson (35-9-1), when asked if he would like a shot at redeeming a loss years prior. "Thunder" Okami (22-4) is Fighters.com’s fifth-ranked middleweight. “No disrespect to him, but I got injured in the fight right after taking him down.  I took him down fairly easily.  I’m fairly confident that when I’m on top of anybody I’m going to end the fight.” To the average MMA fan, this might seem like a lofty goal, but it doesn’t stop there for Thompson. “I have my last final [exam before graduating University of Minnesota Law School], then I take the bar [exam] in July.” Not to mention his fight scheduled for 3 June at Sengoku III versus Chute Boxing Academy’s "Maicon" Michael Costa (9-3). “I’ll fight at heavyweight if the offer is right! Or 155, I’ll just cut off a leg!” Perhaps a fight against sixth-ranked heavyweight “Last Emperor” Fedor Emelianenko (28-1).  “It’d be scary, but fun from my position!” There is no shortage of personality for the man that has enough sense of humor to be known as “The Goat”.  Not to mention continuing with MMA after starting 1-3. “I just enjoy it.  I was never really good at it.  It was just something that I was enjoying, then I started beating people I wasn’t supposed to beat.   “I would be brought in as an opponent.  I think Josh Neer is a prime example.  He had just fought in the UFC; and, they brought me in just to get him a win, then I beat him [via rear naked choke in the second round] and a couple of black belts from Top Team. “I was just being brought in as a tune-up fight and, suddenly, I was beating guys; and, my coach pulls me aside and says 'Hey, you should really think about doing this and really taking a shot at it.'” “It wasn’t even really until after the Karo Parisyan fight that my wife sat me down and said that I had to make a decision whether I was going to train full time or not.  Until the Karo fight, I was only training maybe four hours a week.  Now I’m training four or five hours a day.” Of course, that isn’t to say that all of Thompson’s fights have been lined up as he would like.  Thompson admits that “there have been sometimes when I wasn’t excited to fight.” “My last fight, [a controversial unanimous decision win over "Pitbull" Fabricio Monteiro (16-7)], I was excited to be in Japan; but, just style-wise and where I was coming from in my career, it seemed like a lose/lose fight. “If I beat him, I was supposed to be him.  If I lost to  him, I lost to a guy that wasn’t very good.  Fights like that are hard to get up for. “Mark Weir was another example when I fought him in BoDog.  Mark is a tough guy, he will knock you out if you make a mistake.  He hits fairly hard, but, at the same time, he was on like a four- or five-fight losing streak; and, it’s kind of like: If I beat him, so what?  And, it’s not an easy fight.” Easy or not, Thompson has strung together 11 straight wins after losing to "Heat" Karo Parisyan (18-5) at UFC 50 in April 2006, many of which he has fought at 170-pounds, a difficult achievement for a fighter who stands 6'1" and walks around at around 210-pounds, according to his trainers. And now, fighting at Sengoku, the welterweight fighter will have to drop even more weight to get to the required 167-pounds for his division.  Nick confessed that on Mother’s Day he, "went over to my mom’s house; and, they made a great dinner; and, I brought my own Tupperware of chicken, heated it up in the microwave." For a moment, Nick’s usually cheerful face suddenly showed a sign of regret.  "It’s not just hard on me, it’s hard on my wife.  We’re newlyweds, 25-, 26-years old.  Most people like to go out and get burgers or go to bars with friends.  I can’t do that." Of course, that isn’t to say that he has to either.  Remember, Thompson is a graduating law student who has more than just mixed martial arts as an option.  So, why wouldn’t he give up being hit in the face for a living? To Nick the answer seemed simple.  “I can be a lawyer when I’m 40!” After years of fighting and enduring strain to personal relationships, Nick has learned the hard lessons he wishes he had known earlier. He said, “One [lesson] is really surrounding yourself with good guys. “Coming to a  school like [Minnesota Martial Arts Academy] may be more expensive than going to a smaller school, but the learning curve is just so exponential.  If you are paying $15 more a month to come and train with top level guys, it really pays for itself.” Without pausing to think, Nick offered more advice for prospective fighters.  "Another one is: Get management!  It is really tempting when you’re a young fighter that, if a promoter says, ‘Here’s $50 and a sandwich, go fight this guy.’ “When you are a young fighter, you should have the mentality that you will fight anyone, but you really need a manager or a coach to say, ‘Hey, no, here’s what you are going to do.’ “And the last thing is something I learned too late in my career.  I wished I had learned sooner...to train out of your comfort zone.  If you are really good at jiu-jitsu and suck a wrestling, you need to practice your wrestling. “It’s better to suck in practice than to get in a fight and realize ‘this guy is better than me at jiu-jitsu and I don’t know how to wrestle’.  It isn’t terribly fun at practice, but it’s better than losing in a fight.” As always, Nick is thankful for his wife, his training partners at Minnesota Mixed Martial Arts Academy, and his sponsors Tapout and Island Nutrition. Photos of Thompson with Emelianenko and Thompson in Costa Rica are copyrighted by Nick Thompson from www.nickthompson.tv. ...

Hail the new Fighters.com welterweight king UFC Welterweight Champion "Rush" Georges St. Pierre (16-2). Many had no doubt that St. Pierre was the best at 170-pounds, but it was important for St. Pierre to win the top spot with revenge on "The Terror" Matt Serra (9-5) at UFC 83. The truth is that Serra looked no worse in defeat to "Rush" than future UFC Hall of Famer Matt Hughes (42-6) did in December.  Serra drops to the fourth spot. Hughes and Serra have a date to dance before the end of '08, but Hughes has been drafted into the UFC 85 main event to replace an injured "Iceman" Chuck Liddell (21-5) on the 02 Arena marquee. In London, Hughes faces sixth-ranked pup "Pitbull" Thiago Alves (14-3), who's on a St. Pierre-ish steamroll through the division with stoppages of "The Heat" Karo Parisyan (18-5), "Lights Out" Chris Lytle (25-15-5), Kuniyoshi Hironaka (11-5), and Tony DeSouza (10-4). "Kos" Josh Koscheck (10-2), who moves up a spot on Serra's stoppage loss, will get a swing at Lytle in July, a true test of the third-ranked wrestlers grit and chin. Jake Shields (20-4-1) has had his EliteXC title fight with Drew Fickett (33-5) rescheduled again, this time to July.  Shields loses ground in the rankings as his 2006 unanimous decision over WEC Welterweight Champion Carlos Condit (22-4) falls from his two-year record. In June, "The Goat" Nick Thompson (35-9-1) returns to Sengoku versus an as-yet unnamed opponent, but told Fighters.com, "For the right amount of pay, I'll fight Fedor or Jesus himself." At the end of May in Vegas, Japan's "Zenko" Yoshiyuki Yoshida (9-2) will debut in the UFC versus "War Machine Jon Koppenhaver (5-1) after an impressive run in his homeland. "Zenko" debuts on Fighters.com's top ten after "The Heat" Karo Parisyan (18-5) drops off because his two-year record lost a 2006 stoppage of Thompson. May Welterweight Rankings 1. "Rush" Georges St. Pierre (16-2) Since "Terror" struck at UFC 69, "Rush" has had to scrape pieces of Koscheck, Hughes, and Serra off the bottom of his feet on his steamroll back to the UFC belt many believe the 27-year old will wear for a generation. 2. Jon Fitch (17-2) While louder fighters have claimed title contendership, Fitch has quietly earned it with a stoppage of Alves and decision over Sanchez, plus UDs over tough Chris Wilson and Kuniyoshi Hironaka.  The wrestler is probably next in line for a UFC title shot. 3. "Kos" Josh Koscheck (10-2) After revenge over Sanchez, Koscheck was overwhelmed with a St. Pierre bouncing back from a loss. Like St. Pierre, “Kos” has all the physical tools to be a champion and absorbs new skills like a sponge. Time and continued top competition will tell. 4. "The Terror" Matt Serra (9-5) After knocking out the 170-pound division's heir apparent, St. Pierre, Serra was outclassed in their April '08 rematch.  However, Serra looked no worse in defeat than St. Pierre's two previous victims, Koscheck and Hughes. 5. Matt Hughes (42-6) Since getting KO’d by St. Pierre for the first time since ’01, Hughes hasn’t fought the same in a throw-away decision over Christ Lytle and another stoppage by St. Pierre. One wonders if he’s getting the same quality of training since leaving MFS. 6. "Pitbull" Thiago Alves (14-3) Alves has dealt 3 big stoppages to Karo Parisyan, Chris Lytle, and Kuniyoshi  Hironaka to plant himself firmly in the welterweight top ten, and only an ’06 TKO to Fitch keeps him from Fighters.com’s top five. This juggernaut will run into Hughes in June. 7. "Nightmare" Diego Sanchez (18-2) All the hype can’t replace a loss in the Octagon, and, in Sanchez’s case, two losses to Fitch and Koschek.  An ’06 decision over Karo Parisyan in one of the fights of that year proves he has the talent, but does he have the focus? 8. Jake Shields (20-4-1) Shields may be the world’s top welterweight, but a lack of competition outside the UFC keeps him from breaking through.  Still, he’s stopped all opponents in the last two years except in a unanimous decision over WEC champ Carlos Condit. 9. "The Goat" Nick Thompson (35-9-1) "The Goat" has bucked eleven straight challengers, ten by stoppage, since leaving the UFC after a TKO by Parisyan; and, though no top tenners, it's a list including Chris Wilson, Ansar Chalangov, Eddie Alvarez, and Fabricio Monteiro, all tough welterweights. 10. "Zenko" Yoshiyuki Yoshida (9-2) "Zenko" debuts in the UFC versus Jon Koppenhaver in May without an "L" in two years, all wins by stoppage. With overseas wins over Katsuya Inoue and Akira Kikuchi, Yoshida hopes to fare better than fellow Nipponese Kuniyoshi Hironaka. ...

The world's top welterweight will be decided this weekend in Montreal at UFC 83.  What might be more interesting is what happens next.  Several fighters have legitimate claims to the winner of Serra v St. Pierre.  Who deserves it most? 1. "The Terror" Matt Serra (9-4) "If you beat the guy, you're the guy," Serra said, and "The Terror" dismantled 170’s heir apparent, St. Pierre, last April for the UFC welterweight title and Fighters.com's #1 ranking. His slim record makes it hard to predict the length of his reign. 2. "Rush" Georges St. Pierre (15-2) Barely breaking a sweat stopping Hughes twice and winning a UD over Koscheck fulfilled St. Pierre’s physical promise, but his malfunction versus Serra raises questions great fighters have had to answer before. Does his hype distract from his focus? 3. Jon Fitch (17-2) While louder fighters have claimed title contendership, Fitch has quietly earned it with a stoppage of Alves and decision over Sanchez, plus UDs over tough Chris Wilson and Kuniyoshi Hironaka.  The wrestler is probably next in line for a UFC title shot. 4. "Kos" Josh Koscheck (10-2) After revenge over Sanchez, Koschek was overwhelmed with a St. Pierre bouncing back from a loss. Like St. Pierre, “Kos” has all the physical tools to be a champion and absorbs new skills like a sponge. Time and continued top competition will tell. 5. Matt Hughes (42-6) Since getting KO’d by St. Pierre for the first time since ’01, Hughes hasn’t fought the same in a throw-away decision over Christ Lytle and another stoppage by St. Pierre. One wonders if he’s getting the same quality of training since leaving MFS. 6. "Pitbull" Thiago Alves (14-3) Alves has dealt 3 big stoppages to Parisyan, Chris Lytle, and Kuniyoshi  Hironaka to plant himself firmly in the welterweight top ten, and only an ’06 TKO to Fitch keeps him from Fighters.com’s top five. Whoever’s next for Alves will meet a juggernaut. 7. Jake Shields (20-4-1) Shields may be the world’s top welterweight, but a lack of competition outside the UFC keeps him from breaking through.  Still, he’s stopped all opponents in the last two years except in a unanimous decision over WEC champ Carlos Condit. 8. "Nightmare" Diego Sanchez (18-2) Sanchez is St. Pierre light. All the hype can’t replace a loss in the Octagon, and, in Sanchez’s case, two losses to Fitch and Koschek.  An ’06 decision over Parisyan in one of the fights of that year proves he has the talent, but does he have the focus? 9. "The Heat" Karo Parisyan (18-5) Parisyan has been criticized for his conditioning.  Maybe it’s true because the tough, exciting judoka hasn’t been able to break into the top of the division after losses to Sanchez and Alves. A TKO of Thompson shows how hot “The Heat” can get. 10. "The Goat" Nick Thompson (35-9-1) "The Goat" has bucked eleven straight challengers, ten by stoppage, since leaving the UFC after a TKO by Parisyan; and, though no top tenners, it's a list including Chris Wilson, Ansar Chalangov, Eddie Alvarez, and Fabricio Monteiro, all tough welterweights. ...

"KenFlo" Kenny Florian (9-3) finished fellow Bostonian lightweight "J-Lau" Joe Lauzon (16-4) in a vicious pounding from the full mount at 3:28 of round two in the main event of Ultimate Fight Night Live in Denver tonight. The former title challenger from Sityodtong, Florian, dominated the quirky computer tech. "KenFlo" opened a gash on the back of Lauzon's head with elbows from his full guard in the first round, but was warned by referee Herb Dean for striking behind the head. It was a call Dean missed while refereeing a lightweight fight between "Cleat" Rich Crunkilton (16-2) and Sergio Gomez (7-2) at last week's Las Vegas WEC event. After the stand-up, Lauzon clinched for a takedown and stepped over Florians body in half-guard for a knee bar that turned into a Achilles lock that Florian yanked free from. Lauzon snatched an ankle again and reclined into a heel hook that Florian was again able to wriggle free from to end the round. The frantic mat work and elevation exhausted "J-Lau" for the second round and Florian was able to score a takedown into full mount that Lauzon never bucked free from. Florian poured on a cocktail of elbows, straights, and hammerfists from the mount, but Lauzon defended.  Dean called an end to the fight after it was clear Lauzon was to spent to transition out of the bad spot. In a grueling war game between undefeated wrestlers, "The Bully" Gray Maynard (5-0) won a decisive unanimous decision over "The Answer" Frank Edgar (8-1). Maynard set the pace in the first round by stuffing Edgar's takedown attempts and deciding when he'd take the inevitable wrestling match to the mat. Edgar made it a scrap in the second round with crisp 1-2 combos that scored, but Maynard continued to stuff "The Answer's" shot and score his own powerful takedowns, though neither fighter did much more than molest the other on the mat. Edgar was gassed by round three and the bigger "Bully" slammed Edgar three times to convince all three judges he was dominant. Earlier in the night, "Rumble" Anthony Johnson (5-1) pummeled TUF finalist Tom Speer (9-3) over 51 seconds, knocking home the stoppage "W" with a clean straight right that slumped Speer against the cage. "I'm crunk right now, I'm real crunk," said Johnson after the fight. Johnson began the end with a left kick to Speer's head as the wrestler attempted to shoot, followed by a knee that backed Speer to the cage.   Speer was out on his feet when he absorbed the death blow. In a welterweight clash, "The Pitbull" Thiago Alves (14-3) crumpled "The Heat" Karo Parisyan (18-5) with a left knee strike to Parisyan's head in the second round as Parisyan sought the clinch. At 34-seconds of the round, referee Steve Mazzagatti dove across the downed fighter as he defended Alves's follow-up pounding. "The referee did a good job," Alves claimed after Parisyan disputed the stoppage.  "He was out!" Parisyan had won round one with deft, one-off striking versus the American Top Team trained kickboxer, who appeared wary of Parisyan's takedowns.  In his UFC debut last February, "The Barbarian" Tim Boetsch (7-2) surprised David Heath (7-3) with an onslaught ending in a first-round Boetsch TKO. Tonight, "The Hammer" Matt Hamill (4-1) weathered Boetsch's first round avalanche of strikes to reveal "The Barbarian" couldn't continue his barrage passed the first five minutes. Hamill began the fight with a powerful double-leg takedown, but couldn't capitalize before the referee stood the fighters. Boetsch proved effective with a repeating knee strike that split Hamill's lip like a ripe peach, splashing blood across Hamill's chest. In round two, Boetsch heaved heavily from his corner.  He shot for a single-leg takedown and held Hamill's leg as the champion wrestler hovered over him hammering punches.  Boetsch rolled into guard, but had nothing left as "The Hammer" finished him at 1:25 with undefended plugs to Boetsch's face. Fast-rising Nathan Diaz (9-2) submitted Kurt Pellegrino (11-4) in an air-tight leg triangle choke in the second round of their undercard match, flashing double middle fingers in the air as Pellegrino tapped helplessly. Diaz was cut on his right eyelid by Pellegrino punches in a first round controlled on the mat by Pellegrino. Pellegrino dumped Diaz at will and hammered punches and elbows inside Diaz's full- and half-guard.  Pellegrino passed to side control and pinned Diaz's arms, hammering Diaz's unprotected face to open the cut. But, durable Diaz escaped a lost first round. The second round continued as the first, with Diaz getting dumped to the mat by Pellegrino.  This time, Diaz ran his guard up Pellegrino's back and submitted the lightweight in a leg triangle at 3:06 of the round. "He shouldn't have pinned me down like that," Diaz scolded Pellegrino after the hard-won "W".  In the televised card's first fight, "The Assassin" Houston Alexander (8-3) got touched by "The Sandman" James Irvin (14-4) in the first exchange of their light heavyweight match. Alexander was beaten to the punch by a right Superman punch from Irvin as Alexander launched his own right cross. Alexander fell to the mat and Irvin followed with a right exclamation point to Alexander's noggin as referee Steve Mazzagatti dove to Alexander's rescue at :08 of the fight, tying a UFC record for quickest KO. "I was still conscious," Alexander repeated after the stoppage. Amidst boos, Irvin challenged, "We can do it again right now.  If you want to go out into the parking lot, we can do it right now."  In untelevised fights, "The Dentist" Josh Neer (24-6-1) won a unanimous decision over "Dinyero" Din Thomas (20-8), who was returning from a knee injury in his last outing.  "Maximus" Marcus Aurelio (16-5) submitted lightweight Ryan Roberts (8-3) 16 seconds into the fight. "Pitbull" Manvel Gamburyan (8-2) submitted Jeffrey Cox (9-5) in guillotine choke at 1:41 of the first round. "The Carpenter" Clay Guida (23-9) TKO'd lightweight Samy Schiavo (10-5) at 4:15 of round one. Finally, welterweight George Sotiropoulos (9-2) TKO'd Roman Mitichyan (5-2) 2:24 into round two. ...