Salahdine Parnasse signs with UFC, headliner vs Hooker set

French lightweight Salahdine Parnasse has signed with the UFC and will headline the promotion's Sept. 5 card in Paris opposite Dan Hooker, MMA Mania reports.

Parnasse, a former KSW champion at both featherweight and lightweight, nearly joined the UFC in 2024 but balked at an offer that would have paid him far less than his existing KSW deal. Two years later, the promotion has reportedly met his asking price. The 28-year-old last competed in March, stopping his opponent in the first round on Netflix's Rousey vs. Carano card.

Hooker looks to end skid on French soil

Hooker enters the bout on a two-fight losing streak, having dropped decisions to Arman Tsarukyan and Benoit Saint Denis after a three-fight win streak from 2022 through 2024. The 36-year-old New Zealander has fought exclusively at lightweight since 2021 and sits outside the division's top ten.

Parnasse spent the last five years competing outside the UFC while building a reputation as one of the best free agents in the sport. His willingness to walk from a lowball offer in 2024 appears to have paid off. MMA Mania called him "one of the very best fighters competing outside of UFC over the past half decade."

UFC Paris goes down Sept. 5 at a venue yet to be announced. The Parnasse-Hooker fight marks the first reported bout for the card.

Reported via:

• MMA Mania — Report: Top MMA free agent Salahdine Parnasse signs with UFC, draws UFC Paris main event opposite Dan Hooker