Salahdine Parnasse open to Usman Nurmagomedov fight after UFC Paris

Salahdine Parnasse is about to make his UFC debut on Saturday, but he may already have an idea of what could come next. Although he first has to get past Dan Hooker in the UFC Paris main event, the former KSW two-division champion didn't rule out a future fight with Usman Nurmagomedov. For now, however, Parnasse remains focused on Hooker.

Salahdine Parnasse Open to Fight Usman Nurmagomedov

Since Usman Nurmagomedov's PFL contract expired in June, there has been plenty of speculation about him signing with the UFC. That hasn't happened yet, and the Russian remains a free agent. In any case, Parnasse believes a fight between them could happen. Speaking to MMA Fighting, the French fighter was brief when asked about a potential fight with Nurmagomedov.

"I think it's a possibility for sure, we'll see," Parnasse said.

Salahdine Parnasse Focused on UFC Paris Debut

A former two-division KSW champion, Parnasse will make his UFC debut against Hooker in the UFC Paris main event on Saturday. The French fighter is riding a five-fight winning streak and has finished all five of his opponents. Ahead of the biggest fight of his career, Parnasse praised Hooker before calling him the perfect opponent for his promotional debut.

"It was amazing," Parnasse said. "It was great news for me and I just wanted to keep moving forward, so it was awesome. I was super excited. I mean, Dan Hooker is a guy that has fought everyone. He's a guy that's super experienced. He's fought (Islam) Makhachev, he's fought everyone in this division, so I was very excited to face him. […] I think it's the perfect opponent."

While a win over Hooker could put Parnasse in position for a major fight in the lightweight division, he isn't thinking about his next opponent yet.

"As of right now, this moment, I don't have any names in my mind. So we'll have to see when I win on Saturday," Parnasse said.