One of the biggest established names in Europe has signed with the UFC. Salahdine Parnasse, who holds two titles in KSW, has officially signed with the biggest MMA promotion in the world. The French fighter debuts in front of his own crowd on September 5 at the Accor Arena in Paris against Dan Hooker.
The UFC announced the signing and fight during the UFC Abu Dhabi broadcast today. For Parnasse an immediate chance to make an impact in the lightweight division and rankings. Hooker stands at number nine in the media rankings. In the brand new UFC Meta rankings, the New Zealander is unranked.
A Massive Signing For The UFC
The 28-year-old Salahdine Parnasse is one of the biggest signings so far this year for the UFC. The French fighter of Moroccan descent has been on the radar of many hardcore MMA followers for years. Parnasse started his professional MMA career in 2015 and worked his way up in the French regional scene, becoming one of the biggest talents in Europe. After going 8-0 in his first eight fights and winning the 100% Fight championship against Morgan Charrière, the Frenchman signed with the Polish KSW promotion. After winning his first three fights, he already got the opportunity to fight for the interim title against Roman SzymaÅski.
He beat the Polish fighter and won the interim title, which he defended against Ivan Buchinger. At the beginning of 2021, he fought for the undisputed title against champion Daniel Torres. Torres surprised Parnasse by knocking him out with a forearm strike early in the first round. It was the first loss in Parnasse’s professional MMA career. The Frenchman bounced back with a win over Filip PejiÄ, earning another shot at the belt against Torres. This time, Parnasse won after five rounds via unanimous decision. After defending the belt once, he got an opportunity to fight for the interim lightweight title against Sebastian Rajewski.
An Almost Three-Division Champion
Parnasse won the fight and got the chance to fight for the undisputed lightweight title against Robert RuchaÅa. Via TKO in the fourth round, Parnasse became a two-division champion. Four months after winning the second title, KSW allowed Parnasse to go for a third title. In the welterweight division, he took on champion Adrian BartosiÅski. Parnasse lost after five rounds by unanimous decision. He went back to lightweight and defended the title four times. In his most recent fight, Parnasse won during the inaugural event of the MVP promotion, defeating Kenneth Cross via TKO in the first round. Now the French star has signed with the UFC and takes on Dan Hooker.
For Hooker, the fight is important to stay in the top 10 of the division. The 36-year-old New Zealander has been fighting in the UFC since 2014. Hooker struggled early on in the featherweight division and had his best run in the UFC between 2017 and 2020 when he fought at lightweight and won seven of his eight fights. Hooker looked to be back on track between 2022 and 2024, winning three fights after losing four of his five fights before the winning streak. Unfortunately for Hooker, his last two fights were losses against top contender Arman Tsarukyan and Benoît Saint Denis. Hooker’s most recent win dates from 2024 when he narrowly beat Mateusz Gamrot by split decision. Now he has to defend his spot in the top 10 against promotional newcomer Parnasse.
UFC Paris –Â (September 5th)
- Dan Hooker vs. Salahdine Parnasse
- Nora Cornolle vs. Klaudia SyguÅa
- Michael Page vs. Nursulton Ruziboev
- Mario Pinto vs. Ryan Spann
- Nathaniel Wood vs. Mairon Santos
- Morgan Charrière vs. Felipe Lima
- Oumar Sy vs. Modestas Bukauskas
- Losene Keita vs. Muhammad Naimov
- Kurtis Campbell vs. Trevor Peek
- Luis Felipe Dias vs. Matthieu Duclos
- Michael Aljarouj vs. Fabia Sintes
Like HEAVY’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on HEAVY
The post Salahdine Parnasse Debuts During Main Event at UFC Paris appeared first on HEAVY.