Painkiller Addiction to Blame for Karo Pulling Out
by MicahW on Nov 20, 2009 10:59 AM EST
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Longtime friend and training partner of Karo's, Neil Melanson, has come out with Karo's permission and explained the reason for Karo pulling out of his UFC 106 fight with Dustin Hazelett.
"Karo’s had some problems with an addiction to pain medicine due to an injury he sustained a few years ago. Then when he started having these anxiety problems, it didn’t seem like the anxiety pills were helping him. The only thing that was helping him was the pain medication that he had been taking for his injuries. That’s when he just started down that slope. It’s just one of those situations where you have two guys that sit down to have a drink, and you have one guy that can go home and he’s fine, and the other guy has to go out and get wasted every single time because he’s an alcoholic. I think that maybe with the pills, that Karo is the second guy. Maybe he’s the guy that can’t take them here and there, or can’t use them effectively...
He told me that he was on pain medicine, but he wanted to get off. He had a plan and he was working his way to get off of it. About a month ago he was taking about half the amount that he usually does and he was pretty optimistic. He was really trying to push it. He was going through some withdrawals and he would try to push it as hard as he could to get off the stuff. He really had a plan to be off three weeks prior to the fight and he really wanted to clean up. He really wanted to do this right. It was really important to him and his family. I hadn’t spoken to him for just a little bit, and I guess he tried, but he couldn’t.
He contacted me and told me about the situation, and I said, ‘Look, just sleep on it and we’ll talk about it tomorrow’. I met with Greg Jackson and we had a little conversation about everything. From there I called Karo and I just told him, ‘Well you’re better off being honest now than piss testing and getting in trouble with the commission’. He did the right thing there and told them. He messed up, but people shouldn’t hate him for it. The guy has a legit problem right now. He did the right thing; he didn’t cheat, he didn’t lie, he didn’t do anything wrong. He just had a problem that he tried to overcome and he couldn’t do it. I think that everybody can sympathize with that. Karo has put on great shows in the past, and I think that he felt a lot of pressure to do that again...
My heart goes out to him. I know he’s suffering right now. With the UFC dropping him, he’s a mess. He’s a complete mess. Just imagine what it’s like to have an addiction problem, and to lose everything like this all in one day. But at the end of the day he still did the right thing by coming clean and not trying to test, or fight, or lie, or anything like that. So before people start hating on him I hope they realize that when push came to shove, he did the right thing.
He could have disrespected the sport by going out there and fighting. A lot of people try to beat the test somehow. He could have done a lot of things to make the sport look bad. He could have done that because he was greedy, or because he needed money, or whatever it was, but instead he did the right thing and he didn’t make the UFC look like jerks by testing dirty. I know Dana is saying some things right now because he’s really upset about it, but Dana cares about him. Dana has always been really good to him. I know he’s probably pretty upset, and I would be too. He’s pulled out of a couple of fights before, and if you’re a promoter that would piss you off pretty bad.
Once he gets cleaned up and back on his feet, he’ll probably go out there and compete. If it’s not with the UFC it will be somewhere else. If Karo got clean and worked hard he’d be back in the top five again. He was ranked in the top five for his weight class for over three years. You don’t do that by being a slouch."
Melanson explains how Karo did the "right thing" by not fighting and fessing up. The right thing would have been to check himself into rehab and not accept a fight until this whole thing was cleared up. That being said, sober up Karo and hope to see you back one day.
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based on his fighting style i would LOVE to see karo back and fighting in the UFC. addiction is a problem, you can lose everything and it is soley your fault if that happens, but… if the guy truely wants to get better and does, i think he needs to prove himself outside the UFC, then after 2-3 fights bring him back.
I'm old school hating Lesnar, I've been hating Lesnar since '08
Whatever the reason, he doesn’t deserve to fight in teh UFC. You, me or anyone else could not screw our employers over like he has and still have a job. That said, he absolutely deserves to earn a living in the field of his choice, so best of luck to him getting healthy and returning to MMA outside of the UFC. And, how about a drop to LW?
by BJJDenver on Nov 20, 2009 11:43 AM EST up reply actions 1 recs
And, how about a drop to LW?
I like that idea…his body index is way high… as is he most of the time. He has taken his UFC contact for granted for far too long anyway.
by Saevus Antistes on Nov 20, 2009 1:07 PM EST up reply actions
Melanson explains how Karo did the “right thing” by not fighting and fessing up. The right thing would have been to check himself into rehab and not accept a fight until this whole thing was cleared up.
Yeah, this on a couple of levels. That’s what would have shown the most respect to his employers, the fans, his opponent, etc. But it’s also what would have been most likely to result in him actually overcomming the addiction. I really hope that Karo recovers, but at some point he also has to accept that this situation is partially his fault. Maybe not today or tomorrow – addictions do make it really hard to think straight – but someone in his life is going to have to show they care enough about him to be honest and let him know that his life won’t turn around until he not only kicks the addiction but also accepts some responsibility and tries to make ammends.
Geez, that was preachy. I’ll stop now.
"I'm AJB and I endorse this nut-puncher."
People are forgetting that rehab is expensive as hell, counseling is expensive as hell, etc.
These ufc guys still don’t make a ton of money, and Karo already owed 32k to the commish. And when your addiction is calling the shots and telling you what to think, it’s easy to say “one more day” or “one more pill”.
If you have no understanding of this or sympathy for karo (regardless of his big mouth) then you’ve never watched a family member or loved one go through this.
The path to my fixed purpose is laid with iron rails, whereon my soul is grooved to run. Towards thee I roll, thou all-destroying but unconquering BROCKLESNAR; to the last I grapple with thee.
by judonerd on Nov 20, 2009 1:40 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
He did lie, he tried to tell everyone they wouldn’t let him fight because of his past suspension. And honestly, the argument is he pulled out a day before because he respects the sport and it’s fans? F off. Where was that respect his last fight? He just knew he couldn’t get away with it this time.
Karo Parisyan denies abuse of painkillers is the reason for not fighting. “Hell no, no addiction,” he said via text. “It’s anxiety.” about 15 hours ago from HTC Peep
What exactly makes you question Gross on this?
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by Brent Brookhouse on Nov 20, 2009 2:18 PM EST up reply actions
What are people upset about, they didn’t get to see a fight? The man has serious emotional and probably physiological problems how can you get all pissy behind your computer because he didn’t perform for you? The only reason people even care is because he’s put on great shows for us in the past. If this was some weekend warrior nobody would care, Karo’s excellence is what makes this sad, and apparently angry for the emotionally confused.
no anger was meant in my comments. but there are consequences for your actions. he has a problem yes, but that doesnt mean everyone should feel sorry for him. if he continues down this path, he is guaranteed to be alienated by his fans, he will never hav e a chance in the UFC again, his career will be gone. he has to decide now which is more important to him, painkillers or his life. taking a soft approach to something potentially life ruining is not the way to go.
I'm old school hating Lesnar, I've been hating Lesnar since '08
I wasn’t referring to you with my comments.
If you don’t feel sorry for Karo because MMA has lost a great fighter, you have no right to be mad. Karo’s a human being not a rockemsockem robot. A lot of “fans” don’t give a shit about fighters and wanna act hard as hell like they’re Dana White talking shit about fighters.
Karo isn’t getting any help by people calling him a fuck up on the internet. That could just as easily push him further into the abyss. He needs to get help from people close to him and wake up on his own.
i think it was an ariel helwani interview with marloes coenen where she said she doesnt read any of the articles on herself anymore after reading how people were commenting on her. if you wouldnt walk up to an attractive girl in real life and tell a girl what you’d do to her, or you wouldnt stand for someone else doing it, why is it condoned online? much like, “F this fighter” … uh, i can guarantee you wouldnt say that to the fighters face, you’d get knocked the hell out. but people are pussies in real life and need a place to feel like the bad ass they’ve always told people they were.
I'm old school hating Lesnar, I've been hating Lesnar since '08
Huh?
What the fuck are you two talking about? Karo fucked up, undeniably. People aren’t mad like they want their money back, they’re pissed that he’d fuck over the UFC again and they’re mad for Dustin. One of you is telling people when they have a right to dislike something and the other is hypothesizing keyboard warriors..
"I’m sorry. I didn’t drink last night, so I’m not funny today."
-Sakuraba
I might have flown off the handle there a bit, I’ve known a lot of people who went through similar shit Karo is and it’s frustrating to see people discuss his decisions like its just a simple choice he can make. Karo fucked up the event (which is kind of redundant at this point) and stole a great chance for Dustin to get some exposure. The UFC won’t ever deal with him again and Dustin gets his win bonus as a consolation. It’s a shitty situation and it’s Karo’s fault, but there are obviously other forces at work in Karo’s head and his future is in ruins. The UFC and Dustin will obviously move on but Karo’s in a hole it could take him years to dig his way out of, if ever. Obviously you can hate Karo for his unibrow if you want to, I just don’t think it’s fair.
I was also indirectly responding to a lot of comments I’ve seen outside BE, I can see how that’s a little confusing.
I'm "pissed" at the UFC
more than Karo on this (although I’m not really pissed). They weren’t doing him any favors by continuing to give him fights. They seem to be using him to promote cards and create media.
I can’t really even feel sorry for Hazlett as he had to know that this was a more than likely outcome when he took the fight.
The old cliche “fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me.”
This
The path to my fixed purpose is laid with iron rails, whereon my soul is grooved to run. Towards thee I roll, thou all-destroying but unconquering BROCKLESNAR; to the last I grapple with thee.
by judonerd on Nov 20, 2009 1:41 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
I’m not a fan of Karo but my thoughts go out to him. I have friends who have gotten addicted to pain killers and it is not an easy drug to shake. More people overdose on pain killers than heroin in the United States now. Many people don’t realize this and think that because it’s prescribed medicine it must be safe. I hope he can shake this addiction before it takes over him.
I feel for Karo, and the thing that annoyed me the most about him, his attitude, might make recovery that much harder for him. Regardless of the recovery method used, it takes a level of real humility to take the steps necessary for permanent sobriety. Hopefully his family and friends are supportive and educate themselves on the mechanics of addiction. It can be such a strange, counter-intuitive thing.
I trained BJJ with a guy who started with pain killers and ended up driving over the border regularly to buy heroin. He ended up in rehab, but relapsed a few times. It was a horrible situation for his family.
I never liked Karo, and I probably never will,
BUT, i do hope he gets his head straight and deal with these issues the right way.. It’d be such a shame for a talented guy like him to just continue to waste everything like that..
weoweoweo.deviantart.com -- @antontabuena
Due to the Questionable decision: "The only thing Fishbob does consistently is dissapoint."
My thoughts exactly
I do hope he gets better though.
"Never underestimate the predictability of stupidity." - Bullet Tooth Tony
@deowade
Okay, I hope he gets better, sure, but it’s still nobodies fault but his own. People can get help before drug use becomes a problem, too. That seems constantly overlooked when we’re discussing drug addicts in MMA. He’s been doing this for years, since his scheduled title fight. Kick the junk, Karo. It’s a cautionary tale because his career is going down the drain, but it’s a shame and not cause for sympathy like his dad got shot while he was driving and now he can’t get out of bed anymore. He did this to himself.
"I’m sorry. I didn’t drink last night, so I’m not funny today."
-Sakuraba
Karo should not have signed the contract to fight Hazelett while trying to overcome a drug addiction. Plain and simple.
Doing the right thing would have meant seeking help prior to having a professional engagement, not just crossing your fingers then canceling when things don’t go as planned(again).
Having your manager read out a statement like this reminds me of when kids couldn’t do their homework so their mothers would call the school and give the teachers excuses as to why they couldn’t do it.
Karo needs to get his head on straight and fast or he is going to be homeless and his fighting career will be over.
As a recovering opiate addict of 2+ years...
…my heart goes out to Karo. Addiction is a terrible thing to go through, and something that people are ashamed of and therefore lie to cover up. I immediately had a feeling when he pulled out that it had to do with painkillers, and when I watched the Kizer interview during the part when Keith said Karo had asked him if there was anything ‘stronger than Tylenol’ that he could take, my suspicions were confirmed. I am not surprised that Karo denied it when asked yesterday if opiates had to do with it. My hope is, now that it is out in the open, Karo can come to terms with his problem and get the help he needs. He seems to have a great support system of people who genuinely care about his wellbeing, which will be key on his road to recovery.
well said tditz
fuck all of y’all who don’t know shit about addiction and act like you do
Opiate addiction is horrible to go through, Diarhea, sweats, mind races, for a few days, it’s bad
Doesn't anybody think before they speak/post anymore?
by Big Boob Lover on Nov 21, 2009 8:59 PM EST up reply actions
I just read that Dana is flying Karo down to Florida to one of the best drug addiction treatment centers in North America.
No wait, got that wrong. Karo’s not a PPV draw, so it’s a no go.
That might have been an option a month ago, but Dana doesn’t help when you fuck up his shit.
See Rampage for example. Go crazy the week after your fight, Dana comes to save the day, bail on a fight, you go to hell.
I dont know
I feel like Dana for the most part looks out for his fighters, as long as your in good standing with him. Had Karo went to dana a month into his suspension, not 1 day before the fight, I’m sure Dana would have be able to help in some way
If Karo wanted help he should have asked for it, i’m as big a Karo fan that there is on here but that was some bullshit. You can’t beat the problems he has by going cold turkey, he should have never even thought of fighting before getting healthy first. The bottom line is he fucked over everyone and now the only way for him to ever get back his reputation and career is to get help asap and that has nothing to do with Dana, the UFC or anybody else it starts with him first.
I assume the injury they’re talking about is the torn hamstring that Joe Rogan has brought up a number of times?
Not that I condone facism or any ism for that matter. Isms are in my opinion, not good. A person shouldn't believe in an ism, he should believe in himself.
I quote John Lennon, "I don't believe in Beatles, I just believe in me". Good point there, after all he was the walrus. I could be the walrus. Wouldn't change the fact I have to bum rides off of people.
Don’t you know who I am, Bro?
"Negative, negative. I gotta stay lean and lightning and ready to fight." Capt. H.M. Murdock
inexcusable
#1: this is the not the first time karo has done this.
#2: if you have a problem like this, you don’t pull out THE DAY BEFORE the event. with enough warning a replacement could have been found and hazelett’s training would not have gone to waste.
dana has every right to be furious and dumping karo from the league was absolutely the correct move. i feel pity and compassion for his situation but karo handled it completely wrong and what he did is inexcusable.
what has been will be again; what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.
Addiction is a known risk when taking drugs
I struggle to feel too much sympathy for addicts like this. Addiction itself doesn’t deserve pity. Circumstances which drive a person to addiction can (and most probably do) deserve sympathy.
People KNOW that taking drugs can get you addicted to them, it’s not an accident or some unfortunate occurrence that they couldn’t have foreseen.
The line always trotted out in situations like this: ‘Addiction is horrible’. Well, so is losing your foot to frostbite if you spend the night barefoot in the snow. You brought it on yourself by making stupid decisions and the horrible consequences are yours to deal with.
'He built his whole reputation as a waffle house chef. They’ve been serving him up ham and eggs with a side of canned tomatoes' - Don Frye on Fedor Emelianenko
by Well Read Idiot on Nov 23, 2009 8:54 AM EST reply actions
If you’re just talking about illicit drugs, I agree. If you’re talking about Karo’s situation, your analysis and analogy are off-base. If a doctor initially prescribed the medication, and chronic pain necessitated extended use of the drug, addiction can sneak up on a person. I mentioned earlier in the thread that I have a friend who got addicted to opiates. He started when he injured himself and needed pain meds. His doctor, who’s pretty shady in my opinion, overprescribed Oxy.
Someone who doesn’t have experience with pain meds is going to rely on a doctor’s advice, and often, doctors are pretty clueless about how quickly addiction can take hold of some people. I don’t know what Karo’s situation is, but he’s a professional athlete, and I wouldn’t be surprised to find out he initially got hooked after an injury. (He may have said this already. I don’t remember.)
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