Josh Parisian

Overview

Two Contender Series knockouts, both in the first round, got Josh Parisian to the UFC. The UFC run since has been harder: a 2-5 record at heavyweight, with a three-fight losing streak into his next appearance.

The Martinsburg, West Virginia-born heavyweight is 15-8-0 as a professional across all promotions. His UFC record is 2-5, with one finish, a second-round TKO. The rest of that record is a split decision win and five losses, two by KO/TKO, two by decision and one by submission.

He's a volume striker who pays for it. That is the whole story, and the numbers below back it up.

UFC Career

Parisian came through Dana White's Contender Series, which is not part of his UFC record. He stopped Greg Rebello in 1:31 of the first round at Contender Series 2.3 in 2018. In 2020 he stopped Chad Johnson in 3:43 of the first at Contender Series 4.3.

The UFC debut came in November 2020 against Parker Porter, a unanimous decision loss. He bounced back in June 2021 with a split decision over Roque Martinez, then dropped a third-round TKO to Don'Tale Mayes that December.

June 2022 brought his best result: a second-round TKO of Alan Baudot at 3:04. It stands as his only UFC finish and his only win that didn't go to the scorecards.

The losses since have come in a hurry. Jamal Pogues took a unanimous decision in February 2023. Then Martin Buday, an opponent our model rates as strong, submitted him in the first round at 4:11. At UFC 299 in March 2024, Robelis Despaigne knocked him out in 18 seconds.

Three straight losses. One of them lasted less than half a minute.

Fighting Style

Parisian is a busy striker who gets hit a lot. He lands more per minute than most UFC fighters, but his defense is poor and he takes plenty in return. His accuracy is around the UFC average, so the issue isn't landing. It's what comes back at him.

He rarely shoots for takedowns and gets taken down more than most. He almost never hunts for submissions, so he isn't a threat when a fight hits the mat.

His finishing record fits that profile. His lone UFC finish is a second-round knockout, and he has no submission wins.

Notable Wins

• Alan Baudot — KO/TKO, round 2 (3:04), UFC Fight Night: Tsarukyan vs. Gamrot (2022)
• Roque Martinez — split decision, round 3, UFC Fight Night: Jung vs. Ige (2021)

Quick Facts

• Division: Heavyweight
• UFC record: 2-5
• Professional record (all promotions): 15-8-0
• UFC debut: 2020
• Stance: Orthodox
• Height / reach: 6'4" / 79"
• Born: Martinsburg, United States