Parnasse stops Hooker in the opening round in Paris

Salahdine Parnasse marked his UFC debut by stopping Dan Hooker at 2:35 of the first round in the main event of UFC Fight Night: Hooker vs. Parnasse, held on Saturday 5 September at the Accor Arena in Paris. The UFC reported an attendance of 15,687 and a gate of $4,365,335.

The win moved the Frenchman to 24-2 and dropped Hooker to 24-15. Parnasse, 28 and from Aubervilliers, arrived in the promotion as a two-division KSW champion with a 23-2 record and 15 finishes to his name. Hooker had lost his previous two bouts, to Arman Tsarukyan and Benoît Saint Denis.

Main event

• Salahdine Parnasse def. Dan Hooker — TKO (body kick and punches), round 1, 2:35

Hooker tried to dictate range early with kicks, but Parnasse checked them and took over with sharper footwork and hand speed. A left kick to the body clearly hurt the New Zealander, and a head kick followed by a left hook put him down. The referee waved it off after a short burst of follow-up strikes.

Parnasse said afterwards that he considers himself the best fighter in the world, asked for someone in the top five at lightweight and named Max Holloway as the bout he wants. None of that has been booked, and the UFC has announced nothing about his next opponent.

Co-main event

• Axel Sola def. Farès Ziam — KO (punch), round 1, 1:40

It was Sola's second win in Paris in as many appearances in the city, and his second consecutive first-round finish.

Main card

• Michael Page def. Nursulton Ruziboev — unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
• Daniil Donchenko def. Punahele Soriano — unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
• Kurtis Campbell def. Trevor Peek — submission (rear-naked choke), round 3, 3:07
• Losene Keita def. Muhammad Naimov — KO (punch), round 1, 2:54

Page has now won four in a row, while Donchenko stretched his overall streak to eight and his UFC run to three. Keita called out Lerone Murphy after his knockout.

Preliminary card

• Felipe Lima def. Morgan Charrière — unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
• Mário Pinto def. Ryan Spann — TKO (punches), round 2, 0:55
• Modestas Bukauskas def. Oumar Sy — TKO (knee and punches), round 2, 3:57
• Pavel Andrusca def. Nathaniel Wood — unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
• Fabià Sintes def. Michael Aljarouj — unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-27)
• Nora Cornolle def. Klaudia Syguła — unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
• Matthieu Letho Duclos def. Luis Felipe Dias — TKO (punches), round 1, 4:35
• Delphine Benouaich def. Sofia Montenegro — technical submission (rear-naked choke), round 2, 4:22

Bonuses

Performance of the Night awards worth $100,000 each went to Parnasse, Sola, Keita and Pinto. No Fight of the Night bonus was handed out.

Hooker has now lost three straight and been finished in his last two. The promotion has said nothing about what comes next for him, and Parnasse has no fight booked either.