MMAjunkie.com, OH

Karo Parisyan’s feud with Nate Diaz still boiling

by John Morgan on Jul 05, 2008 at 4:07 pm ET

After more than a year since the legendary on-camera verbal clash
between UFC welterweight Karo Parisyan (18-5 MMA, 8-3 UFC) and
eventual "The Ultimate Fighter 5" champion Nate Diaz, bad blood still
remains.

Parisyan discussed the ongoing feud while a guest on The Lights Out
Show on the TAGG Radio Network (), the official radio
partner of MMAjunkie.com ().

"The deal is, it started out kind of as a joke," Parisyan said. "I
kind of let him know, ‘You know what? You’re saying shut up in front
of everybody.’ … I came up and I starting telling him, ‘Listen,
dude. We’re on national [expletive] TV. Don’t be saying [expletive]
like that.’"

Parisyan explained that Diaz’s reactions are what caused the situation
to escalate.

"[Diaz] thinks he can get rowdy with me and walk away," Parisyan
said. "He walked away from me, next to my cousin Manny (Gamburyan),
and he started acting all ‘What’s up homies?’ And I’m like, ‘Dude, are
you [expletive] kidding me? Dude I wouldn’t even have to punch
you. I’ll slap you.’"

At that point in the exchange, Parisyan then delivered his
now-infamous "do-you-know-who-I-am" speech. The 26-year-old said the
words were misinterpreted by much of the MMA community.

"When I said, ‘Do you know who I am,’ everybody was like, ‘Oh, he’s so
cocky,’" Parisyan said. "I don’t mean, `Do you know who I am?’ Of
course you know who I am. I’m Karo, and I fight in the UFC. Big deal.

"What I said to him was, ‘Hey mother [expletive]. Do you know who I am
on the street? As far as me not being an athlete, do you know what I’m
capable of doing on the [expletive] street? Do you know me that way?
No, you don’t know me. So if you don’t know me, don’t [expletive] with
me.’"

Although Parisyan said he has never had any issues with Diaz’s older
brother, the oft-debated Nick Diaz, the Armenian judoka said the
problems with Nate Diaz have extended beyond the taping of "TUF 5."

"I was very close to taking his [expletive] head off," Parisyan
said. "But then again, I had 10 to 15 athletes there holding me
back. It is what it is. Recently I almost fought at another
competition with them, at fights in the UFC, where guys held me back
again."

Parisyan said that Diaz has been a constant thorn in his side and that
the differences will eventually need to be settled — in or out of the
octagon.

"Eventually, one day, something is going to happen because I can’t
handle that kid anymore," he said.

Parisyan also discussed the release of his new book, his relationship
with Affliction, and the advantages of judo in MMA. To hear the full
interview, download Thursday’s edition of The Lights Out Show,
available for free in the TAGG Radio Network archives.

This story, written by John Morgan, was produced by The TAGG Radio
Network () specially for MMAjunkie.com
(). "The Lights Out Show," hosted by Chris Fries and
The JDH, airs Tuesdays and Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT. Download
all the former episodes at