Chinese MMA and the return of Karo Parisyan

The WEC announced earlier this week that they have signed their first Chinese fighter, which admittedly might not sound that important at first glance. After all fighters from just about every country and continent you could think of have already competed in MMA at some point in time during the sport's brief history.

Upon closer inspection though, this could well be a significant development in terms of the globalization of mixed martial arts. Currently the scene inside China is still in it's infant stages, with just a handful of fledgling promotions currently operating within the country. The addition of Tiequan "The Mongolian Wolf" Zhang (11-0) to the WEC roster though signifies a big step forward for Chinese MMA, and if he succeeds could well pave the way for more Chinese fighters to gain high profile positions within U.S and Japanese promotions.

Why is this significant? Simply because if the sport takes off in a big way in China, then not only will the world's biggest population begin to produce a steady stream of fighters, but the sport as a whole will grow exponentially, and in a territory many other sports have struggled to gain a foothold in.

The signing of Zhang isn't the first inkling that MMA is slowly gaining ground in China though, although it is perhaps the most visible. The UFC have recently begun the process of setting up a Beijing office, and intend to host a series of The Ultimate Fighter there in the near future. Also Japanese promotion Dream, part of the FEG group that also owns K-1, recently announced that they have a major new financial backer in the form of PUJI Capital, who have strong ties to the Chinese government.

What should also prove interesting to see is whether the UFC will be met with open arms if a major Chinese financial institution is backing the competition. Zuffa have managed to successfully lobby their way into just about every market they have tried to enter so far, but they may find their progress hampered if they are thought by the powers that be to be acting against the best interests of a well connected Chinese company.

Also China has an international reputation as being a major source of pirated online material, something the UFC has been keen to stamp out in the United States. (Somewhat ironic given the Chinese government's otherwise stringent control of internet activities) Whether this will have much of an effect on the brand's expansion will have to remain to be seen. There is probably a genuine worry for the UFC that having hosted an event there, the level of piracy after that will reach such epic proportions that pay per view buys in the U.S are negatively affected.

The UFC also announced this week that formerly ousted welterweight Karo 'The Heat' Parisyan has been welcomed back into the fold after previously being told he would never fight in the organization again. Parisyan last fought for the industry leading promotion at UFC 94 against Dong Hyun Kim, after which he was found to have several illegal pain killers in his system, which he later revealed he was dependent on. He was then scheduled to take on Dustin Hazelett at UFC 106, but pulled out just days before the event, leading to Hazelett being pulled as well when no replacement opponent could be found in time.

Following this incident, Parisyan was cut from the company roster, and president Dana White said at the time he would never return to the UFC. and it was widely reported that the cause of his late cancellation was an ongoing struggle with panic attacks. Since then though Parisyan has made progress with his condition, and successfully returned at Impact FC in Brisbane, Australia to submit Ben Mortimer, which seemingly paved the way for his return to the UFC. He is not set to face Dennis Hallman at UFC 126 in Michigan.

The news will also perhaps provide some hope for those wanting to see Paul Daley one day return to the Octagon. At UFC 113 Daley punched opponent Josh Koscheck after the bell and was promptly let go, with president Dana White promising that he would never compete for the company again. Obviously his situation is different from Parisyan's but given more time I wouldn't bet against him one day returning, despite White's claims.