Legendary judoka and former UFC welterweight contender Karo Parisyan has announced plans to reopen his gym and return to teaching, with a specific focus on instructing children in judo techniques tailored for mixed martial arts. The announcement came during his recent appearance on the Jaxxon Podcast, where the “Godfather of Judo” discussed his future plans and his approach to training the next generation of MMA stars.
Parisyan, who has been away from regular coaching due to the birth of his son, revealed that he’s ready to get back into teaching classes. “I’m opening it again. Since when my son was born, everything went to a stop, bro. It’s like life stops because you have another dude. It was crazy,” Parisyan explained. “So, I’m getting back into teaching classes again, like kids MMA and judo for MMA.”
What sets Parisyan‘s approach apart is his insistence on teaching traditional judo fundamentals even to students who plan to compete in MMA.
“I’ll teach them judo because they need to have the original strength,” he stated. “Like, even if you’re going to compete in MMA, I’ll teach them judo with a gi because that’s how I came through it. They have to learn the grips and all that stuff. It’ll make you really strong especially with grips.”
The Armenian-American MMA star emphasized the importance of grip training in judo, explaining how it translates to overall strength and technical proficiency.
“Judo is all grips. If you watch, like, Olympics or worlds, you’ll see two great, like, guys, just they’re just ripping off grips until someone gets their grip and just go for the throw, and actually they get it and they do it,” Parisyan noted, highlighting the precision and patience required at the highest levels of the sport.
Parisyan‘s decision to focus on teaching children comes as he’s been doing more private lessons and increasing his activity in the gym. The former UFC standout, who was known for his exceptional judo throws and relentless pace during his MMA career, has been training under the legendary Gokor Chivichyan, who also coached Ronda Rousey. This lineage of high-level judo instruction will now be passed down to the next generation through Parisyan‘s program.
While Parisyan didn’t provide specific details about the gym’s location or opening date during the podcast, his enthusiasm for returning to coaching was evident. With his son now a year and a half old, the timing appears right for the “Godfather of Judo” to share his knowledge and experience with young athletes looking to incorporate elite-level judo into their MMA training.
