Salahdine Parnasse scratched another goal off of his list after securing his first UFC win Saturday in his home country, and he believes he’s already in reach of another major milestine.
The former two-division KSW champion showed why he was a prized signing as he needed a little more than half a round to score a vicious knockout over longtime lightweight contender Dan Hooker in the UFC Paris main event.
In his post-fight interview, Parnasse celebrated by calling for a fight with Max Holloway.
“I’m ready for the next fight, top 5,” Parnasse said via a French translator. “My dream fight is Max Holloway. Max Holloway is the legend. Big respect, Max Holloway, my dream fight is Max Holloway. … I’m ready for Max Holloway or top 5, UFC, I’m ready.”
Holloway is coming off of a win over longtime rival Conor McGregor at UFC 329, though the bout was widely considered a disappointment due to McGregor suffering a fight-ending knee injury that led to a stoppage in just 69 seconds. “Blessed” appears to be biding his time as the top names in the lightweight division are sorted, so his schedule might not line up with Parnasse’s in the near future.
At the evening’s post-fight press conference, Parnasse elaborated on his reasons for wanting to face Holloway.
“He’s a very well-conditioned guy,” Parnasse said. “He was the champion, ‘BMF’ champion. It’s always been a dream just to see who’s better conditioned, me or him.”
Parnasse has now won six straight fights and 11 of his past 12, and he’s no stranger to marquee matchups having competed in multiple championship bouts at 155 and 145 pounds during a successful stint with KSW. Now that he’s in a new promotion, his goal remains the same.
“I’m going after the belt,” Parnasse said. “I want to go step by step and keep moving up the division and I want to be the best in the world.”
Asked for a timetable for a title fight, Parnasse offered a guess.
“We’ll see, I hope maybe my third fight,” Parnasse said. “We’ll see.”
