Dana White Signs Off on Fight Between UFC Paris Star & Future UFC Hall of Famer

UFC CEO Dana White has signed off on a proposed matchup between a future UFC Hall of Famer and one of the promotion’s newest stars.

Some hardcore MMA fans have already moved on from last weekend’s UFC card given that last night’s Dana White’s Contender Series event featured five fights and saw four new fighters ink UFC contracts, but last Saturday also saw the Accor Arena in Paris, France host the UFC Octagon for the fifth year in a row.

The night kicked off with three-straight wins from French fighters, and in the main event Salahdine Parnasse introduced himself to UFC fans by stopping longtime promotional staple Dan Hooker just over halfway through the opening round.

Dana White Reacts to Salahdine Parnasse vs. Max Holloway Proposal

After kicking off his UFC career with an incredible finish, Parnasse used his time with the microphone to suggest he’d like to meet former featherweight and “BMF” titleholder Max Holloway for his second UFC outing.

Salahdine Parnasse (blue gloves) reacts after defeating Dan Hooker (not pictured) during UFC Fight Night at Accor Arena. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Holloway most recently stepped into the cage at UFC 329 and saw his headlining rematch with Conor McGregor end after 69 seconds when McGregor injured his knee, and “Blessed” currently occupies the #4 spot in both the Meta AI and media rankings for the UFC lightweight division.

Conor McGregor (red gloves) fights Max Holloway (blue gloves) in a welterweight bout during UFC 329 at T-Mobile Arena. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Speaking to the assembled media after last night’s DWCS card, White was asked about Parnasse’s callout and seemed very open to the idea of a matchup with Holloway.

UFC CEO Dana White in attendance during UFC 329 at T-Mobile Arena. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

“The crowd was incredible, the fight was great,” White answered. “Calling out Max Holloway is pretty crazy…The fact that [Parnasse] wants to fight Max Holloway right now is impressive. I like it.”

UFC Debut Extended Salahdine Parnasse's Finishing Streak to Six Fights

Long-considered to be one of the top fighters outside of the UFC, Parnasse went 8-0 to start his professional MMA career before he joined top Polish MMA promotion KSW in 2017.

The 28-year-old went on to become one of KSW’s biggest stars, claiming interim featherweight gold in just his fourth fight before he later went on to win and defend both the undisputed featherweight and lightweight belts.

Dan Hooker (red gloves) fights Salahdine Parnasse (blue gloves) during UFC Fight Night at Accor Arena. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Parnasse also attempted to become a three-division champion in 2023 but dropped a decision to welterweight titleholder Adrian Bartosiński, and after closing out his KSW career with four-straight stoppages the Frenchman appeared on the inaugural MVP MMA card and finished Kenny Cross in the opening round.

Max Holloway Undefeated in Non-Title UFC Fights Since 2014

A potential matchup between Parnasse and Holloway would be a pivotal bout for the lightweight title picture and also about as fan-friendly a bout as the UFC could put together at this stage.

Max Holloway during UFC 329 at T-Mobile Arena. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Prior to his rematch with McGregor, Holloway also met Charles Oliveira in a rematch at UFC 326 but was soundly outwrestled by the Brazilian and relinquished the “BMF” belt that he’d won from Justin Gaethje at UFC 300 and successfully defended against Dustin Poirier at UFC 318.

Max Holloway celebrates after defeating Conor McGregor (not pictured) during UFC 329 at T-Mobile Arena. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

“Blessed” was knocked out by Ilia Topuria in a bid to reclaim the featherweight title in between those wins over Poirier and Gaethje, and Holloway hasn’t tasted defeat in a non-title fight since his first meeting with McGregor back in 2013.

Add us as a preferred source on Google