‘I’m the best’: UFC newcomer’s bold statement as Holloway called out; Hooker brutally KO’d – Wrap

Salahdine Parnasse has announced himself to the UFC world in devastating fashion, producing a stunning first-round knockout of New Zealand star Dan Hooker on debut in Paris before immediately setting his sights on Max Holloway and the lightweight division’s top five.

There had been enormous hype surrounding the former two-division KSW champion after he finally signed with the UFC in July, and it took just one fight for the French sensation to show exactly why.

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Parnasse entered the Octagon for his highly anticipated UFC debut against the vastly experienced Hooker and made quick work of ‘The Hangman’, handing the Kiwi his third consecutive defeat.

Fighting in front of a raucous home crowd at Accor Arena, with NBA superstars Victor Wembanyama and Rudy Gobert among those watching on, Parnasse delivered the kind of statement performance that immediately puts the rest of the division on notice.

The Frenchman ripped a brutal kick into Hooker’s liver before following it with a left hook that sent the New Zealander crashing to the canvas.

Parnasse immediately swarmed, leaving the referee with little choice but to intervene as the Paris crowd erupted.

It was clean. It was violent. And it was fast.

For a fighter who arrived in the UFC with considerable expectations already on his shoulders, it was about as emphatic an introduction as Parnasse could have hoped for.

The 28-year-old now owns a professional MMA record of 24 wins and just two defeats, continuing an impressive career that saw him become one of the biggest stars outside the UFC.

Parnasse was arguably one of the most prized free agents available to the promotion before putting pen to paper earlier this year.

The two-division KSW champion cut his teeth in the same organisation that helped produce future UFC champions Dricus du Plessis and Jan Blachowicz, establishing himself as one of Europe’s most exciting talents before finally making the jump.

But Parnasse doesn’t appear interested in taking things slowly.

With Hooker entering the fight ranked No.10, Parnasse is now likely to rocket into the lightweight rankings following his stunning debut victory, and he already has his eyes on one of the biggest names in the sport.

“I’m the best fighter in the world,” Parnasse declared in his post-fight interview.

“I’m ready for Max Holloway, I’m ready for the top 5 UFC. I’m training hard for that.”

It was an enormous statement of intent from the UFC newcomer, who could go from making his promotional debut to facing one of the lightweight division’s elite in the space of just two fights.

Whether Holloway is next remains to be seen, but Parnasse could hardly have done more to announce his arrival, taking out the No.10-ranked Hooker in the opening round before immediately turning his attention towards the top five.

But Parnasse was far from the only French fighter to send the Paris crowd into a frenzy on a loaded night of action.

In the other co-main event, Axel Sola needed just one minute and 40 seconds to dispose of fellow Frenchman Fares Ziam, producing another vicious first-round finish.

Sola overwhelmed Ziam before landing the decisive punch to bring the contest to a sudden end and continue his impressive run inside the UFC.

The victory takes Sola to 3-1 since joining the promotion, remarkably coming in his fourth UFC appearance in the space of just a year.

Elsewhere, 15th-ranked middleweight Michael Page was forced to go the distance against Nursulton Ruziboev before emerging with a unanimous decision victory.

Page landed 49 of his 66 total strikes and 12 of 28 significant strikes, while also registering a submission attempt.

Ruziboev finished with 21 of 42 total strikes and eight of 29 significant strikes while controlling the fight for five minutes and 28 seconds.

But it wasn’t enough to convince the judges.

All three scorecards went Page’s way, 29-28, 29-28, 29-28, leaving a clearly disappointed Ruziboev to watch as the Englishman had his hand raised.

And then came arguably the coldest moment of the entire night.

Losene Keita produced a brutal walk-off knockout against Muhammad Naimov, but somehow his celebration almost overshadowed the finish itself.

After dropping Naimov with punches and knowing immediately that the fight was over, Keita didn’t hang around inside the Octagon to admire his work.

Instead, he leapt out of the cage, found himself a chair in the crowd and casually sat down before applauding his own performance.

It was ice cold.

And after a night littered with finishes and statement performances, it provided one final viral moment for a wild UFC Fight Night in Paris.

Daniil Donchenko also secured a unanimous decision victory over Punahele Soriano, while Kurtis Campbell forced Trevor Peek to tap to a rear-naked choke in the third round.

FULL UFC FIGHT NIGHT RESULTS

Salahdine Parnasse def. Dan Hooker via first-round knockout (kick, punches)

Axel Sola def. Fares Ziam via first-round knockout (punch)

Michael Page def. Nursulton Ruziboev via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

Daniil Donchenko def. Punahele Soriano via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)

Kurtis Campbell def. Trevor Peek via third-round submission (rear-naked choke)

Losene Keita def. Muhammad Naimov via first-round knockout (punches)