Arthur Hovhannisyan (karateka)

Arthur Hovhannisyan (Armenian: Արթուր Հովհաննիսյան, Russian: Артур Оганесян) is an Armenian-Russian Kyokushin karateka (5th dan).

Arthur Hovhannisyan
Born	(1975-09-13) September 13, 1975 (age 49) Gyumri, Armenian SSR, Soviet Union
Native name	Արթուր Հովհաննիսյան Артур Оганесян
Other names	Highlander
Nationality	Armenian Russian
Height	1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)
Weight	100 kg (220 lb; 16 st)
Division	Heavyweight
Style	Kyokushin Karate
Stance	Orthodox
Rank	5th degree black belt in Kyokushin
Years active	1990–present

Hovhannisyan began competing in swimming and boxing at age of eight before beginning kyokushin at fifteen. He won both the Moscow and the Armenian championships in 1995, the Russian championship in 1996, the British National Open Tournament in 1997, and the European Championship in 2005. He has been vice-president of Kyokushinkai Federation of Armenia since 1999. In 2005, he moved to the International Karate Organization (IKO) headquarters in Tokyo.

In 2008, Russian TV channel Боец ("Fighter", boets.ru) made a film about Hovhannisyan, entitled Горец ("Highlander", Hovhannisyan's nickname referring to his Armenian heritage).

In 2009, he completed a 100-man kumite under the supervision of Shokei Matsui.