Bellator 132: Georgi Karakhanyan Turns the Page on a Forgettable Career Chapter

When he wanted a good burial place for the worst stretch of his career, Georgi Karakhanyan paid a visit to the old stomping grounds.

After competing for no less than six different promotions, losing his first fight in three years thanks to a random injury, losing a title belt in the process, being denied a coveted rematch and sitting idle for six months at a time, the Armenian submission artist has returned to Bellator.

The return ends a four-year absence from the company that gave him his start in big-time MMA. Most notably during his absence, he worked for World Series of Fighting, where he stayed a year and became their first featherweight champion in the process.

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#Bellator132 “@shootmediatv: TheSHOOT! catches up with @georgimma for #bellator132 @BellatorMMA http://t.co/O4yKpnCY3Q via @YouTube”

— Georgi Karakhanyan (@georgimma) January 15, 2015"

A few things changed in those four years. For one, Bellator has come under new management. And the new management isn’t wasting any time tossing Karakhanyan (23-4-1) into circulation. He has a tricky order on his hands Friday at Bellator 132, where he faces D-1 national wrestling champion Bubba Jenkins.

Take the opponent out of it for a second. The fact that he fought only once in 2014 means you can almost hear Karakhanyan pacing the room as he talks about this chance to just enter the cage again.

“I’m very happy I signed with them,” Karakhanyan said of his Bellator return in an exclusive interview with Bleacher Report. “I wouldn’t mind staying there for the rest of my career.”

Karakhanyan, 29, acknowledged that he—like other fighters—grew frustrated with WSOF’s inability to keep him busy. Given the opportunity to criticize the promotion’s practices, he demurred, describing the departure as mutual and amicable.

“I wasn’t fighting a lot...I wanted to look for a new opportunity,” Karakhanyan said. “I gave them ideas about new matchups…[But] at the end of the day, I asked for my release and they gave it to me. We left on good terms.”

A big positive in Bellator’s column? The regard it holds for athletes on its roster, Karakhanyan said. He’s quick to note that he felt valued by WSOF during his time there, but noticeably omits another, more Octagonal operation (though he has never fought for the UFC).

“Lots of promotions don’t respect you, and I’m not talking about WSOF,” Karakhanyan said. “Scott Coker respects the fighters.”

He may have left WSOF brass on good terms, but his final moments inside their cage are a different story. Working to defend his featherweight title from Rick Glenn last June at WSOF 10, Karakhanyan was forced to retire after tearing cartilage in his ribcage.

The loss still stings. According to Karakhanyan, the fact that Glenn didn’t finish him is a sign that Karakhanyan was, injuries aside, the better fighter that night. (Not surprisingly, Glenn has disagreed with that assertion.)

Karakhanyan angled for a rematch but instead, Glenn, who trains at Milwaukee’s well-known Roufusport gym, faced (and lost to) Lance Palmer, who Karakhanyan previously defeated.

So none of that, not a bit of it, went Karakhanyan’s way. He seems sincere about wanting to move forward in his new promotional home, but doesn’t play down that personal score.

“I wouldn’t mind, man,” Karakhanyan said of a rematch with Glenn down the road. “He comes from a very cocky gym. They think they’re the gods of whatever. You saw what Lance Palmer did to him and you saw what I did to Lance Palmer. 

For now, onward and upward. Karakhanyan has a well-rounded skill set, but on Friday as in all his matches, his jiu-jitsu poses the most immediate threat. He says his ground game is different from that of others, and that makes it harder to prepare for. Why is that?

“My jiu-jitsu is not just regular jiu-jitsu,” Karakhanyan said. “I use it differently. You have a lot of BJJ black belts who get hit and let go of the armbar. But I don’t let go; instead of that I’ll look for different submissions. Others look for one [submission move] only and they don’t like getting hit.”

Unlike other fighters, Karakhanyan is willing to admit he’s familiar with his opponent’s style. In this case, that means wrestling, even if he knows there’s more to Jenkins than that.

“I’ve been wrestling a lot to prepare, but I have to expect everything,” Karakhanyan said. “He’s a really good wrestler, but he’s just as tough in other places.”

That notion applies to both men. Karakhanyan, who has been known to throw a flying knee or two, said he has some special moves up his sleeve for his return to action, an anticipated return that is perhaps anticipated by no one more fervently than it is by Karakhanyan himself. 

“I always do new tricks,” he said. “It’s gonna be a secret, but I can’t wait to fight.”

Scott Harris covers MMA for Bleacher Report. For more, follow Scott on Twitter.