Career
Hovhannisyan began competing in Swimming and Boxing at age of eight before beginning kyokushin at fifteen. 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 television channel Боец ("Fighter", boetsru) made a film about Hovhannisyan, entitled Горец ("Highlander", Hovhannisyan"s nickname referring to his ethnic Armenian origin).
In 2009, he completed a 100-man kumite under the supervision of Shokei Matsui.
