Salahdine Parnasse opens up about why he finally signed with the UFC after turning down past offers
Salahdine Parnasse has provided fight fans with an insight into how his long-awaited entry into the UFC roster finally came to fruition.
Salahdine Parnasse has explained how his oft-discussed potential entry into the world's top mixed martial arts promotion, the UFC, finally came to be.
Parnasse has been the talk of the town as of late. The French-Moroccan athlete, who'd long been heralded as one of the very best MMA fighters outside the UFC, has been officially signed by the UFC and booked for his promotional debut.
He'll fight Dan Hooker in a lightweight matchup, which would serve as the headliner for UFC Paris at the Accor Arena on September 5.
Salahdine Parnasse discusses why he chose to sign with the UFC after turning down previous offers
During an appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show, Salahdine Parnasse discussed several topics, including his recent UFC signing and imminent maiden fight inside the organization's famed octagon.
Helwani suggested that Parnasse had previously indicated that he was content with competing under the KSW promotional banner -- wherein he spent a significant part of his MMA career -- rather than joining the UFC.
Also, Helwani suggested that the popular lightweight had spoken about having declined offers from the UFC in the past.
Parnasse responded by alluding to his latest MMA fight, which took place at the inaugural MVP MMA event after his KSW departure.
The 28-year-old implied that the UFC's latest offer was better than the previous ones, whilst also giving him a shot against a top 15-ranked contender in Dan Hooker, that too in a main event matchup. Speaking via a translator, Parnasse stated:
"After my fight with MVP, the UFC contacted me. And it was a really simple opportunity -- to be part of the main event in my hometown of Paris. This time, the deal was better. And they offered me the opportunity to be part of the rankings by taking a fight against Dan Hooker. It's a really good opportunity for me."
Watch Salahdine Parnasse address his signing with the UFC below:
Salahdine Parnasse reveals why now was the right time to sign with the UFC after turning down previous offers:
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) July 27, 2026
"After my fight with MVP, the UFC contacted me, and it was a really simple opportunity: to be part of the main event in my hometown of Paris.
This time, the deal was… pic.twitter.com/DvDPkYbwsF
Salahdine Parnasse seeks to continue his winning ways, beating veteran MMA star Dan Hooker in UFC Paris headliner
Salahdine Parnasse clinched the KSW featherweight championship, boasting two separate reigns as the 145-pound champ, in addition to also notching the KSW lightweight title during his time in the Polish MMA organization.
The double champion attempted to win the KSW welterweight belt as well. Nevertheless, he found himself on the wrong end of a unanimous decision verdict against Adrian Bartosinski in their high-stakes fight back in December of 2023.
Parnasse, for his part, has gone 5-0 since. He's fought twice already this year, starting off with a second-round TKO victory against UFC veteran Marcin Held in January. That was followed by his most recent bout, a first-round TKO stoppage over Kenneth Cross at MVP MMA 1 in May.
Moreover, Parnasse is up against UFC staple and kickboxing veteran Dan Hooker. The Kiwi holds the No. 12 spot in the official Meta UFC rankings, and a win over him could catapult the French-Moroccan combatant into another marquee matchup next.
Intriguingly, Hooker opened up about his plans to spoil his younger counterpart's UFC debut.
