TLDR
- Salahdine Parnasse defeated Dan Hooker via first-round TKO at 2:35 in his UFC debut at UFC Fight Night 287 in Paris
- Parnasse dropped Hooker with a liver kick and finished with strikes, marking Hooker’s third straight loss
- UFC Hall of Famer Michael Bisping said Parnasse put the lightweight division on notice and is championship material
- Parnasse called out Max Holloway and requested a top-five opponent for his next fight
- The 28-year-old French-Moroccan fighter entered the UFC with a 24-2 record as a former two-division KSW champion
Sources: mmajunkie.usatoday.com | lufkindailynews.com | moroccoworldnews.com
French-Moroccan fighter Salahdine Parnasse needed just 2 minutes and 35 seconds to finish Dan Hooker in his UFC debut Saturday night. The lightweight bout headlined UFC Fight Night 287 at Accor Arena in Paris, France.
Parnasse landed a powerful liver kick that dropped Hooker to the canvas. He followed with a series of strikes that forced the referee to stop the fight in the first round.
“I’m the best fighter in the world,” Parnasse said after the fight. “I knew I was going to finish the fight. I finish all my fights by KO.”
Former Champion Makes Statement
Parnasse entered the UFC with a professional record of 24-2. The 28-year-old previously competed for multiple promotions including Poland’s KSW, where he held titles in both the featherweight and lightweight divisions at the same time.
Hooker came into the fight ranked No. 10 in the lightweight division with a record of 24-14. The 36-year-old New Zealand veteran has competed in the UFC since 2014 and has faced many top names in the division, including Gilbert Burns, Paul Felder, and Mateusz Gamrot.
😬🥊 Throwback to when Michael Bisping got PUNCHED IN THE FACE by a random guy on the street:
"The guy punched me in the face, the little f*cking prick.
Someone that thinks he's so tough and such a gangster. All you little sh*ts out there like that, go f*ck yourselves." pic.twitter.com/EspFh3nxmb
— Full Mount MMA (@MMAFullMount) September 2, 2026
The loss marked Hooker’s third straight defeat inside the octagon.
UFC Hall of Famer Michael Bisping was on commentary for the fight. He praised Parnasse’s performance and said the newcomer has championship potential.
“To take out Dan Hooker in the fashion that he did, to do it so quickly, to make it look easy – he just put the entire lightweight division on notice,” Bisping said during the broadcast. “He is championship material.”
Bisping’s broadcast partner Paul Felder, who previously fought Hooker himself, agreed with the assessment. “To go out there and just take care of business in that fashion, in that amount of time and be cool, calm and collected – this guy is a real contender,” Felder said.
Parnasse Targets Top Competition
After his victory, Parnasse called for a high-profile opponent in his next fight. He expressed interest in facing former UFC featherweight champion and “BMF” titleholder Max Holloway.
“Thank you, Dana (White) for the opportunity,” Parnasse said in his post-fight interview. He also mentioned wanting to face a top-five ranked opponent for his second UFC appearance.
In the co-main event, French lightweight Axel Sola knocked out fellow Frenchman Fares Ziam with a left hook just 1:40 into the first round. Sola improved his record to 13-1-1 with the win.
English middleweight Michael Page won a unanimous decision over Nursulton Ruziboev of Uzbekistan. All three judges scored the fight 29-28 in Page’s favor, bringing his UFC record to 5-1.
Ukrainian welterweight Daniil Donchenko defeated Hawaii’s Punahele Soriano by unanimous decision with scores of 30-27, 30-27, and 29-28. Donchenko used wrestling and striking to control the 15-minute fight.
English featherweight Kurtis Campbell submitted Trevor Peek with a rear-naked choke at 3:07 of the third round. Campbell set a UFC featherweight record with 13 takedowns in the fight, becoming the first person to finish Peek.
Losene Keita of Guinea opened the main card with a first-round knockout of Muhammad Naimov at 2:54. Keita landed an overhand right to finish the fight and improve to 1-1 in the UFC.
