Josh Parisian (born June 28, 1989) is an American mixed martial artist who previously competed in the heavyweight division of the UFC.
[1] Because of an abusive stepfather – who eventually got jail time for domestic violence – he and his mother stayed a lot in shelters.
[3] In college, Parisian listened to his classmate's public speaking class speech on UFC and got interested in the sport.
[3] He tried it out and felt it improve his self-esteem and confidence, leading to dropping out of college in pursuit of a career in mixed martial arts.
Despite scoring a first-round knockout win, Parisian was not offered a UFC contract directly, but a spot in The Ultimate Fighter: Heavy Hitters.
[4] After The Ultimate Fighter, Parisian returned to the regional circuit where he lost the first bout then went on a five-bout winning streak and earned another shot in Dana White's Contender Series.
[6] In his sophomore appearance in the promotion, Parisian faced Roque Martinez at UFC on ESPN: The Korean Zombie vs. Ige on June 19, 2021.