Josh Parisian validated by first UFC stoppage win: 'I belong here'

LAS VEGAS – Josh Parisian’s win at UFC on ESPN 38 was special.

The UFC heavyweight picked up his first stoppage victory in the promotion when he put away Alan Baudot in the second round of their main card bout Saturday. Parisian’s TKO also earned him an extra $50,000 for a Performance of the Night award.

Parisian (15-5 MMA, 2-2 UFC) said he is validated by the way in which he won.

“I got a finish in the UFC,” Parisian told reporters at the UFC on ESPN 38 post-fight press conference. “I feel like getting to the UFC is not enough. It’s going out there and winning by finish. This is my first win by finish (in the UFC), and it just helps me feel secure that I belong here.”

The bout was Parisian’s first fight of 2022. He’d like to get busier and fight more frequently.

“I want to keep getting in here and keep making money,” Parisisan said. “I feel like competing sooner than later helps me manage nerves. If I go a long time between fights, it’s like, ‘Oh, here we go again.’ Like, I don’t stayed used to the nerves.

“If you fight like six months later, you’re like, ‘Ah, these are foreign feelings again.’ But I feel like if I fight back-to-back and get another one in here soon, I’m like, ‘I’m used to this. I just did this.'”