Salahdine Parnasse entered the UFC last weekend to rave reviews as he dismantled Dan Hooker and put him in the ring. The match was attended by both fans and media, showing that Parnasse is a serious player in the UFC’s lightweight division. The Frenchman’s debut in Paris may also have made big waves somewhere the UFC really cares about… social media.
UFC President Dana White spoke to the media last night after Tuesday night’s Contender Series show. Parnasse was one of the topics that came up. And White seemed very pleased with what he accomplished with the former KSW champion.
“Unbelievable,” White offered, reflecting on Parnasse’s performance. “And he was the third biggest social media debut we’ve ever had.”
In an unusual move for him, White did not keep the names of the other two fighters close to his chest (unlike his supposed 11 million dollar man). He came right out and informed us that Paddy Pimblett and Raul Rosas Jr. were the only men in the group who made more of a splash than Parnasse.
Pimblett increased his popularity through Cage Warriors and a funny haircut. He signed with the UFC in 2021 and made his debut at UFC Vegas 36 on September 4. This event was headlined by Derrick Brunson vs. Darren Till (Brunson got the RNC finish).
Pimblett and Rosas Jr. are 12-2 since their debut fights. Both men benefited from a slow build to fighting at the top of their divisions. Parnasse seems to want to skip all that and get straight to the big fights. And white does not seem to resist this idea.
When asked if Max Holloway invited Parnasse on Saturday, White said: “The clean was unbelievable, the fight was great and Max Holloway invited is pretty crazy.”
White was then asked if he was interested in this potential meeting.
“Everything is interesting,” he said. “The fact that this guy wants to fight Max Holloway now is impressive. I like it.”
Given what we’ve already seen, Parnasse vs. Holloway probably has a great chance to be the biggest sophomore UFC effort for a fighter on social media.