Parnasse Stops Hooker In First-Round Destruction

Salahdine Parnasse destroyed Dan Hooker in the first round at UFC Paris on Saturday, delivering a brutal body kick and left hand that sent the veteran crashing to the canvas at 2:35 of the opening frame.

The former two-division KSW champion made his octagon debut in front of a hometown crowd and looked every bit the nearly -700 favourite, per MMA Fighting. Parnasse studied Hooker with feints early before cracking him with a liver kick that visibly hurt the New Zealander. He followed with a head kick, then closed the show with punches along the fence before referee Marc Goddard waved it off.

Parnasse improved to 24-2 and extended his finish streak to six, all stoppages. Immediately after the win he called out Max Holloway for his sophomore UFC bout. The 29-year-old Frenchman was signed by the UFC after stopping Kenneth Cross at the Rousey-Carano MVP MMA card in May, according to Sherdog.

Fighters weighed in quickly on social media. "Aight he's getting Michael Chandler next," welterweight champion Belal Muhammad posted. UFC analyst Alan Jouban wrote that Parnasse looked "patient, methodical" and showed killer instinct when he smelled blood. "Parnasse is going to be a problem," broadcaster Aaron Bronsteter added, citing the newcomer's speed, power and precision.

Hooker dropped to 24-15 and has now been stopped in three consecutive bouts, the first such skid of his career. He was coming off losses to Benoit Saint Denis and Arman Tsarukyan and is 4-8 in his last 12 outings.

UFC Paris continues the promotion's European calendar, with Parnasse's next booking expected to be announced in the coming weeks.