Salahdine Parnasse Calls Out Max Holloway After Stunning UFC Debut

Salahdine Parnasse didn’t waste any time making his presence known in the UFC.

The former two-division KSW champion made a massive statement at UFC Paris, destroying veteran lightweight contender Dan Hooker by first-round TKO. Just minutes after the biggest win of his UFC career, Parnasse already had another opponent in mind: Max Holloway.

Parnasse entered his UFC debut with enormous expectations, and he delivered.

The French star hurt Hooker with a devastating body kick before following it up with a head kick and a barrage of punches. The referee eventually stopped the fight at 2:35 of the opening round, giving Parnasse a spectacular debut victory.

After the win, Parnasse immediately made it clear that he wasn’t interested in taking a slow route through the lightweight division.

He wants the biggest names.

During his post-fight interview, Parnasse called out former UFC featherweight champion and current lightweight star Max Holloway.

Parnasse praised Holloway’s conditioning, experience and status in the UFC while making it clear that fighting him has been a personal goal.

The matchup would be a fascinating clash of styles and experience. Holloway has spent years fighting the best competition in the UFC, while Parnasse is attempting to establish himself as one of the sport’s next major stars.

Parnasse isn’t simply looking for a big-name fight.

He’s targeting the top of the division.

The 29-year-old has now won six straight fights and 11 of his last 12. After dominating Hooker, he said he wants to continue moving up the rankings before eventually challenging for UFC gold.

Parnasse even suggested that he could potentially be ready for a title opportunity by his third UFC fight.

That’s an extremely ambitious goal, but his debut certainly gave him reason to dream big.

Holloway currently finds himself waiting for his next assignment, making Parnasse’s callout particularly interesting.

Whether the UFC believes Parnasse needs another fight before facing a former champion remains to be seen. But after what happened in Paris, it’s going to be difficult to ignore his name.

Salahdine Parnasse came into the UFC looking to prove he belonged. He left Paris with a first-round knockout, a massive statement and a clear target on his mind: Max Holloway.