Issue 111

February 2014

New WSOF champion Georgi Karakhanyan is dropping guillotines for fun, while proving he’s one of the most exciting featherweights in the world 

Fight fans may have felt like they were suffering from a touch of déjà vu when featherweight Georgi Karakhanyan sank in a guillotine choke against Lance Palmer at the World Series of Fighting (WSOF) show in Vancouver, Canada, on December 7th.

The California-based Armenian had produced a similarly magnificent guillotine finish against Waylon Lowe back in September, the only difference being his latest victory also ensured he headed home with his first title belt.

 “I’m a fighter who finishes fights. That’s my goal, whether it’s three or five rounds. When the cage door shuts I’m going in there to finish the fight as soon as possible,” a very excited Karakhanyan told Fighters Only after becoming the first WSOF featherweight champion. 

The odds were stacked against the talented Armenian heading into the fight with highly touted Team Alpha Male featherweight Palmer, but he proved himself early on as they tussled through a back-and-forth battle that saw both men enjoy their moments.

However, it was Karakhanyan who was able to utilize his killer instinct to not only defeat his fellow challenger, but to finish him too.

“You know, with all my fights I don’t go in with a straight game plan, I go in there and wherever the fight takes me I go with it,” Karakhanyan states, with his title belt draped over his shoulder. 

“He did try and take me into deep waters in that third round when he had my back, and that eye-poke affected me a lot as I didn’t start seeing clearly again until that third round. I didn’t have any vision at all in my left eye, and that’s why he got the takedowns. But even though he got my back I didn’t care because I still managed to get the guillotine choke finish.”

And the finish was close to perfect. Although not quite as acrobatic as the jumping guillotine he used to send Lowe packing, his ability to smoothly transition from having Palmer on his back to having a full-mounted guillotine choke within a matter of moments was far from rudimentary. Karakhanyan explains: “When he had my back I was trying to move a lot but he has good control so I knew he felt comfortable there and that he could do this for the fourth and fifth round.

“However, I’ve got a killer instinct and any opening I can get I’ll take, so once he tried to jump over with his body I locked in the guillotine choke. He had no option but to tap out.”

And as for the future, Karakhanyan – arguably the best featherweight in the world outside of the UFC and Bellator – has his sights set on one thing: continuing his dominance.

He adds: “In 2013 I proved I’m the best featherweight in this promotion and one of the best in the world. In 2014 I plan on sitting atop this mountain for longer, defending my belt and building on my winning streak, and I truly believe no one can stop me from doing that.”