April 8, 2010: Artur Bernetsyan wins his 2nd professional boxing match via KO in the forth round at the Four Points Sheraton Hotel in San Diego, California.

GLENDALE — A rising star in the World Extreme Cagefighting lightweight division, Karen Darabedyan was confident and in control before and during his most recent bout against veteran Bart Palaszewski.

But just like that, firm control turned to disaster in the form of an armbar.

“I thought everything was going as planned,” the Glendale High graduate said. “Everything was going the way I wanted it to go, I was controlling the fight.

“I think having the fight go that way just got me relaxed. … I got caught, I just got caught.”

Darabedyan had rocked Palaszewski standing, then took him down and maintained top position for most of the first round while offering up a steady diet of ground-and-pound offense. But Darabedyan made one costly mistake in leaving his left arm exposed for the taking.

“Once he got it, it was in there,” Darabedyan said. “My arm got caught and it went from a stretch to a crunch.

“If I would’ve tried to do anything else, he would’ve broke my arm.”

Roughly three weeks have gone by since Darabedyan’s setback on March 6 and he’s clearly pondered the loss, looked forward to the next step in his career, gotten back to training and taken some time for other avenues, as well.

“It’s a big-time humbling experience,” said Darabedyan, who, before defeating Rob McCullough in a mostly stand-up battle during his WEC debut in November was highly regarded for his ground game under the tutelage of Gokor Chivitchyan. “To tell you the truth, that’s the last way I thought I’d lose a fight, an armbar from the bottom.”

Darabedyan has even joked that people probably think he has a lousy ground game, but while he did make a mistake and get caught by Palaszewski, the Glendale fighter did everything he could to fight off the hold and is still dealing with the damage incurred from his Polish opponent.

“He popped it a couple of times,” said Darabedyan, who’s still taking it easy while training in terms of letting his arm heal, as well as a minor knuckle injury he had going into the bout.

After the loss, Darabedyan admitted he took the defeat, which ended a seven-fight winning streak, hard, even contemplating dropping down from 155 pounds to 145. But after roughly three days or so, Darabedyan said, though he would welcome a rematch, he’s moved past the loss.

Still, he said the defeat has and will definitely affect his preparation going forward. Darabedyan said he’s looking to rework fundamentals in his submission game and striking, though he’s still primarily training under Chivitchyan in Hollywood and at Roman Kalantaryan’s Main Even Boxing Club in Glendale.

“I think I got caught because I made a bad mistake, I left my arms out there,” Darabedyan said. “It’s a mistake that can be fixed.”

Going in, Darabedyan’s confidence level was at a high and he believes he got a bit too confident during the bout, especially after easily defending some of Palaszewski’s earlier submission attempts of triangle chokes and armbars. Thus, when next Darabedyan fights he believes he’ll still be confident, just a bit more cautious.

“I think when I’m really cautious, I perform better,” he said.

After taking a “couple of days off” after the fight, Darabedyan was back training. But he also made time, along with fellow mixed martial arts fighters and training partners Manny Gamburyan, Roman Mitichyan and Sevak Magakian, to take part in the Stars Shooting for Hope charity basketball game at Hoover High to raise money for the Desi Geestman Foundation, which aids children with cancer and their families.

That was March 12.

In May, Darabedyan is scheduled to lend his speaking talents and MMA knowledge to the broadcast world.

Along with undefeated Glendale boxer Vanes Martirosyan, Darabedyan is slated to do commentary for Kalentaryan’s King of the West promotion’s Rage Against the Ropes card on May 6 in Hollywood.

Darabedyan, who said he’s done some guest commentary on smaller shows, isn’t quite sure how everything will work out, but expects to lend color to MMA fights on the card while Martirosyan lends his expertise to the boxing matches.

“I don’t want to freeze and be boring,” Darabedyan joked.

Going forward in his fighting career, Darabedyan said, after talking to WEC officials, he’s aiming for a June return to the cage, when the company will travel to Canada.

“They told me don’t worry, you’ll be back soon,” said Darabedyan, adding that WEC General Manager Reed Harris talked with him later on during the card, reassuring him of his place in the organization.

Nevertheless, Darabedyan vows that this will be a learning experience and the next time he’s on the WEC stage things will change.

“I think it’s gonna make me a better person,” he said, “a better fighter.”

Recently seen striding up and down the Hoover High gymnasium with fellow celebs and mixed martial arts fighters on Friday night in the second annual Stars Shooting for Hope charity basketball game, Roman Mitichyan will make his return to fighting on April 29 at the Smackdown at the Shrine.

Roman Mitichyan

The event, held at the Shrine Exhibition Hall in downtown Los Angeles, will feature a mix of MMA and boxing matches, with Glendale’s Mitichyan taking on veteran fighter Brian “Mr. Unbreakable” Warren in the main event.

Warren (12-14-1) fought last on Feb. 27 with a second-round knockout of Lee Chapman.

Mitichyan (10-3), who defeated Mike Dolce on Aug. 15 via unanimous decision in his last bout, is a former Ultimate Fighting Championship fighter.

Warren has fought his share of UFC veterans, including Mitichyan’s longtime training partner and friend, Karo Parisyan, who beat Warren in the latter’s pro debut back in 1999.

Andy Dermenjyan (3-1), who trains with Mitichyan and Parisyan at the Main Event Boxing Club in Glendale, is also scheduled to compete at the event.

Andy Dermenjyan

Fighters Ando Dermenjian, left, Sevak Magakian, Sako Chivitchian, and Roman Mitichyan

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