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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief
"The Heat" is coming back to the Octagon.
Less than a year after being released from the organization and having Dana White declare he'd never be back in the UFC, Karo Parisyan is getting another shot in the UFC.
According to a report from Ariel Helwani at MMAFighting.com, Parisyan has agreed to face Dennis Hallman at UFC 123 this November, and bout agreements will be signed shortly.
Parisyan hasn't fought in the UFC since UFC 94, where he defeated Dong Hyun Kim by split decision. The result was changed to a "no contest" when he tested positive for banned painkillers after the event.
He was to make his return at UFC 106 last November against Dustin Hazelett, but pulled out the day before the weigh-ins, leading to his release and White's verbal assault.
It was the second time Parisyan had pulled out of a fight at the last minute, as he was pulled off of UFC 88 the day of the weigh-ins with a back injury. He's battled addiction as well as a history of panic attacks, but he'll look to put his much maligned past behind him in November.
He got back into action this past July, defeating Ben Mortimer by submission in the second round of their bout in Australia for Impact FC.
Hallman is coming off a decision victory over Ben Saunders at UFC 117 last month.
UFC 123 will take place from The Palace in Auburn Hills just outside of Detroit, Mich., and will be headlined by a bout between Quinton "Rampage" Jackson and Lyoto Machida.
Penick's Analysis: Good for Parisyan to get another chance, but he better not blow it this time. It will have been almost exactly one year from when he pulled out the UFC 106 bout, and another incident like that will not be tolerated. But don't expect White's wavering on Parisyan "never fighting in the UFC again" will mean he's going to soften his stance on Paul Daley. Parisyan's offense was much less, clearly, in White's eyes, and he's going to have a chance to turn things around in his career and make it right with this fight.
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Jamie Penick, editor-in-chief
(mmatorcheditor@gmail.com)
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