Salahdine Parnasse previously turning UFC down resulted in him having the third biggest debut ever

Dana White shared his reaction to Salahdine Parnasse’s debut this past weekend.

Parnasse turning down UFC contracts in the past showed that he wasn’t in a rush to make it to the top promotion in the sport.

Instead of saying yes to the first offer that came his way, the Frenchman continued to accumulate experience and increase his value before eventually signing.

It’s clear that this move paid off for him, with Parnasse stopping Dan Hooker in his main event debut, which also delivered big results for the promotion.

Salahdine Parnasse instantly announced his arrival in the lightweight division by capitalizing on a big opportunity this past weekend.

There had been talk for years about whether fans would get to see him compete inside the Octagon and how he would fare.

It has now been revealed that this long wait was worth it for both the fighter and the promotion.

Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, Dana White shared his thoughts on Parnasse’s win having not been in attendance for the Paris event.

The UFC president called the Frenchman’s arrival “incredible” and revealed that it was the third biggest debut the promotion has ever had on social media.

White went on to reveal that the two fighters ahead of Parnasse in this field are Paddy Pimblett and Raul Rosas Jr.

In 2021, Pimblett became one of the most talked about fighters on the roster when he overcame early adversity to stop Luigi Vendramini at the Apex.

‘The Baddy’ is similar to Parnasse in the sense that he turned the UFC down on several occasions before eventually arriving in the promotion as a ready-made star.

Rosas Jr. won his debut the following year to become the youngest fighter to get their hand raised inside the UFC Octagon.

After introducing himself to UFC fans, Salahdine Parnasse immediately looked to set up what he calls his “dream fight”.

Parnasse called to fight Max Holloway and paid the former featherweight and BMF champion a lot of respect when doing so.

Dana White was unlikely to say that this is what he wants to happen next when being asked about the callout at a press conference.

However, White did seem to appreciate Parnasse’s ambition, calling the pitch “pretty crazy”.

“The fact that that guy wants to fight Max Holloway now is… impressive. I like it.”