UFC legend brands Paddy Pimblett the one man who can ‘ground Salahdine Parnasse’ after stunning debut

Legendary two-weight UFC champion Daniel Cormier believes Paddy Pimblett might need to be drafted in to slow down the promotion’s newest big signing.

Former KSW champion Salahdine Parnasse exploded on to the scene with a thudding knockout of Dan Hooker at UFC Paris on Saturday night. He is likely to immediately land himself a top 15 slot in the rankings after defeating number 12-ranked Hooker.

A top striker, Cormier believes that it will take a particular type of grappler to combat what the French star is capable of offensively. That’s where Pimblett, who just submitted Benoit Saint-Denis in seconds, comes in.

After years of waiting for him to make the switch to the octagon, Salahdine Parnasse finally did so in exciting fashion against Dan Hooker on Saturday night. Now, he is expected to rank in the top 15 with just one promotional outing and is a legitimate contender.

Daniel Cormier believes that he is going to be a major problem at lightweight, and that it will take someone like Pimblett to get in the way.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, the former light-heavyweight and heavyweight champion said: “There’s one real grappler, in the top of that division right now to try and ground this man, and that’s Paddy Pimblett.

“But I will tell you this, I have heard stories of this kid training and running 15 400s and trying to keep them all under a minute. 15 400s, guys!”