Parnasse Calls Out Holloway After Stopping Hooker
Salahdine Parnasse finished Dan Hooker with a body kick and ground strikes in the first round of UFC Paris and immediately called for a fight with Max Holloway.
The former two-division KSW champion carried a five-fight win streak into his octagon debut and made quick work of Hooker in Saturday's main event. Parnasse landed a body kick that dropped the veteran, then followed with strikes to force the stoppage. He told reporters afterward that the sequence happened so fast he needs to rewatch the tape. "I threw the kick and then I threw a punch and to be honest with you, I got to rewatch the fight, but I don't remember exactly everything," he said, per Sherdog.
Parnasse Eyes Dream Matchup With Former Champion
The Frenchman called out Holloway in his post-fight interview, framing the request as a career goal rather than disrespect. "Like I said, I want to fight Max Holloway; I know he's a legend," Parnasse added. "This is not trash talking; this is just a dream that I've had for a long time and out of respect, I really want to face a legend like Max."
UFC commentator Michael Bisping praised the performance on the broadcast, noting that Parnasse put the lightweight division on notice. "To take out Dan Hooker in the fashion that he did, to do it so quickly, to make it look easy — he just put the entire lightweight division on notice," Bisping said, according to MMA Junkie. He added that Parnasse is right to pursue Holloway and has championship material written all over him.
Analyst Paul Felder called Parnasse a future star based on how composed he looked under the bright lights. Hooker entered the bout on a two-fight skid and had been a fixture in the promotion for years, making Parnasse's finish all the more striking. The UFC has not yet responded to the callout or announced Parnasse's next opponent.
Original reporting:
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