Salahdine Parnasse makes emphatic UFC arrival with win over Dan Hooker
Ariel Helwani reacts to Salahdine Parnasse's huge win over Dan Hooker at UFC Paris and breaks down what the victory means for his future in the UFC.
Video Transcript
Let's start in Paris.
I know you guys wanna talk about it.
The UFC signed Sad Kharnag just a few months ago, and they had tried to sign him over the course of the last, I don't know, three or so years.
And for whatever reason, finances, not feeling ready, master plan, both Kharnag and his team said not yet.
And then he makes his American debut on that MVP card on Netflix back in May.
Excuse me.
And he looks great.
But he beats Kenneth Cross, and so there are still some people out there who probably are thinking, "Hey, two-division champion in KSW, tried to go for the third, but who has he really beat?"
And so they debut him, as we've talked before, not only in his home country, not only in the main event, but it, it's like a really lovable character in Dan Hooker.
They never do this.
They build you up.
They put you on the prelim somewhere.
They put you like they're doing with Roberto Soldi in Utah.
Wherever they can fit the pieces.
They built this card around him.
Now, I know they were already going to Paris, but perfect moments.
The stars aligned.
And so he goes in there, and he walks out to that familiar, "California knows how to party."
The Tupac song.
"California..." That's his song, and it was great when he walked out back at the, the Intuit Dome in May.
And it's a measure Dan Hooker, and Hooker was great throughout.
He played the villain.
He tried to play the spoiler role.
He had a great promo beforehand, "Leave in an orderly fashion, grab your belongings."
He was perfect for this.
He was the perfect, perfect foe for this.
But I did wonder if he was content with just being a part or actually trying to spoil the party, and I actually thought to begin with, he was measured.
He didn't go crazy.
He was relaxed.
You know, hands were a little bit low, chin a little bit high, but it didn't seem like he was trying to do anything crazy.
And you knew that he wanted to keep the fight standing, and there was a, a part of me that wondered if Kharnag would try to take the fight to the ground.
He did not try to take the fight to the ground, and relatively early in the first round, he lands a beautiful liver kick, and you can see that it hurt Dan Hooker.
And Dan Hooker is made of steel.
Dan Hooker, you know, he does not show pain i- even if it is painful, and you could see that it hurt him, and he pounced.
Kharnag pounces, and he finishes him seconds later with ground and pound.
It was as perfect of a debut as you will ever see.
Home country, main event, lovable character in an opponent, first-round finish.
You could not script it any better, and the place, the Accor Arena, was absolutely deafening.
There was a great shot as Kharnag walks out, Victor Wembanyama is just standing there admiring him as he's getting the Vaseline put on, getting ready to go into the cage.
Victor Wembanyama.
Right next to him is Rudy Gobert.
Two giants, literal giants of the French sports scene, watching, excited, as fans, clapping for this future superstar, and we can't call him a future superstar anymore.
He is a superstar.
They have something special on their hands.
The big question is gonna be, how quickly are g- are they gonna rush him to the top?
Afterwards, he told Michael Bisping, "Max Holloway's my dream fight."
Now, I could see Max saying, "Eh, I just beat Conor McGregor.
Like, I wanna fight Justin Gaethje.
I wanna fight Islam Makhachev.
Give me one of those guys."
No one is going to want to fight this guy because he's that damn good, and they don't want to be put on his mantle.
But they've got a star on their hands, and it's been a long time since we've seen someone come over from another organization established, KSW, shout out to them, they did a tremendous job in building him up, and then walk over to the UFC and just sort of like waltz right in there as a stud.
Reminds me a little bit of when Strikeforce fighters came over, WEC fighters came over, where they were put right into main events.
Gilbert Melendez, for example, in, in San Jose fighting Benson Henderson, like that type of scenario.
They walk right into the main event in title fights and are given big opportunities.
And make no mistake about it, I think that Sad Kharnag could fight for the belt today.
I don't think it's a big statement to make that Kharnag could fight for the belt today, fight the number one guy, Justin Gaethje, fight Ilia Topuria, fight Paddy Pimblett, fight Arman Tsarukyan.
Like, he could Mauricio Rua.
He could fight these guys.
Does he win every single one of these fights?
I don't know.
But he is as good as them, in my opinion.
I don't think that's hyperbole.
I don't think that's hyperbole at all.
He is a stud.
He is a star in France, and the French crowd, shout out to them.
Holy shit.
I- i- it's, it's a shame that we were deprived of these crowds for so many years 'cause it took France so long to legalize mixed martial arts.
It's truly a shame.
It took them so damn long, but holy shit, they continue to be the best crowds.
They blew Shanghai out of the water.
Sorry, Shanghai.
As expected, France blew you out of the water.
Paris blew you out of the water.
I've said this before.
I've been in that arena.
It is the loudest arena that I've ever been in.
Canada-France quarterfinals, Olympics basketball, loudest arena I've ever been.
Canada was shook, and this seemed 10 times louder than that.
Kharnag is unbelievable.
Now 24 and 2.
Hooker will be around.
He's beloved.
That was a tough, tough, tough fight.
I, I, I can't wait Can, can we get Kharnag back in December?
Can we get him at T-Mobile?
Can we g- like, I don't wanna see him once a year.
I wanna see him right away.
Like, I know he just went through a training camp, but took hardly any shots, looked amazing.
He's a stud, man.
