(After shaving his chest and face, Karo hit 170 with ease.)

Karo Parisyan spoke with MMAJunkie Radio yesterday and explained in depth the Strikeforce deal, codenamed by the promotion’s CEO Scott Coker as "a cup of coffee," that never materialized.

According to the beleaguered former UFC fighter who has admitted that he has struggled with anxiety and although he hasn’t confirmed the rumor, is said to have battled addiction to painkillers the past few years, the contract was all but drawn up and it was he who rejected the deal because of certain provisions.


"They don’t know how to bring somebody back [from a lay-off] — to give them a fight and to give them time to train. They give me a fight five weeks out to fight a tough kid who just won DREAM. I have no problem fighting anybody anytime, but I hadn’t fought for a long time and I needed time to train for the fight and to get mentally and physically prepared and it just wasn’t the right time. They didn’t give me the right time to train and a lot of their fighters are very  disappointed with their organization as far as they don’t get the fights they think they deserve and they don’t get to fight as often [as they'd like]. It was a six-fight deal I was about to sign with them. The deal was for okay money but the deal is I’ve got to fight. Six fights… I probably would have probably fought over six years — a fight a year, and I just can’t afford that. I gotta be fighting at least twice a year to, at the most, four times a year. It just wasn’t right. No offense to them, it wasn’t for me at the time."

Although he didn’t name the fighter, I’m guessing he meant he was offered DREAM welterweight grand prix winner Marius Zaromskis since he went on to explain that an eventual rematch with Nick Diaz, who Zaromskis battled in January for the vacant Strikeforce welterweight belt, was also discussed during talks with the promotion.

Karo also talked about his anxiety issues, which have continued to consume him, both mentally and physically since being released by the UFC last year.

Adding to his stress is the fact that Parisyan supports his entire family who all live in his house, including his parents, grandparents and siblings. Having not fought since last year he said has only made his anxiety worse.

For his bouts in the past, Parisyan has cut down from and and entered the cage after rehydration as high as 190-pounds. In the interview I conducted with Karo last month at the MMA Expo in Toronto, the 28-year-old seemed skinnier to me than usual. He explained on the show yesterday that he weighed in at 174 right before his Impact FC bout last weekend and attributed the weight loss to his anxiety.

"The reason I lost so much weight was because of a lot stress. Some people gain weight; I lose it. I don’t have the appetite to eat stuff and it really kicked my butt, man. I’ve been through a lot in the past couple years but I’ve got everything under control. I’m putting my size back on and I’m lifting weights agaon. I should be able to get back up to around 190 and I’ll stay at 170 unless I feel I’m not big enough.I’m my own doctor. I’ll know myself if I need to move down to 155, but I’m strong for my weight and I can do a lot of damage to anybody at 170. I’ve fought all my life at 170 and I’ve beaten a lot of tough guys."

As much as he’s done at 170, I’m intrigued by Karo at 155. He’s defeated and held his own against some tough welterweights in his career, but if he can get his head straight, I think he could dominate as a lightweight. Considering Karo’s recent track record, that’s a pretty big "if."