Josh Parisian has another chance to make it to the ranks of the UFC.
Following an appearance on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2018, which he won via a spinning back fist, Parisian (12-3) was booked onto The Ultimate Fighter 28. That season — the show’s most recent — was entitled Heavy Hitters, and featured heavyweights as well as the women’s featherweight division.
Coming up short on the show, Parisian returned to the regional scene, where he has now won five in a row. That’s enough to land him another shot on the Contender Series this year, Cageside Press has confirmed. He’ll take on Chad Johnson on August 18, a pairing Parisian later noted via Instagram.
Johnson (6-1) has spent the bulk of his career thus far fighting for King of the Cage. In his last outing, however, he made the jump to LFA, defeating Calyn Hull — and handing Hull his first loss in the process.
The heavyweight’s lone loss came in a KOTC title fight against Tomar Washington. Notably, Johnson has never gone the distance, and all five of his wins have come via KO/TKO prior to the second round.
Given Parisian’s own finishing rate, this is a match-up that absolutely screams fireworks. With Parisian having come so close in the past, it’s also likely that he’ll be extra motivated for this one.
