Now a veteran in the UFC, Dan Hooker will put his fearless reputation on the line when he takes on UFC debutant Salahdine Parnasse in the main event of UFC Paris at the Accor Arena on Saturday night.
Parnasse (23-2-0) comes into the promotion after making waves in KSW during the last couple of years.
Set to fight in front of his home nation, Parnasse was a former KSW Featherweight and Lightweight Champion before joining the UFC.
In addition to his success, the Frenchman also featured on MVP’s first MMA card in May, where he claimed a technical knockout win over Kenneth Cross in the first round.
Hooker (24-14-0), on the other hand, is a well-known figure in the world of Mixed Martial Arts, given his reputation of rarely turning down fights in the UFC.
However, the New Zealander will head into his next fight on the back of consecutive defeats against Arman Tsarukyan and Benoit Saint Denis.
Hooker last tasted victory in August 2024, where he claimed a split decision win over Mateusz Gamrot at UFC 305.
Among his exploits in the UFC, Hooker never shied away from high-profile fights as seen with his meetings alongside the likes of Islam Makhachev, Micheal Chandler and Dustin Poirier.
Speaking of his upcoming bout, Hooker claimed that he had no previous knowledge of his opponent despite being a well-known figure in KSW, one of the biggest Mixed Martial Arts promotions in Europe.
While fighting a lesser-known opponent can come with its own dangers, Hooker backed himself to get the job done on Saturday night.
“I never heard of him. But since that, you find out he’s quite a big name on the European circuit,” Hooker said.
“I’m obviously aware of KSW, that’s a huge show out there in Europe. They’re selling out stadiums. I had no idea who he was.
“My manager told me how much money they were offering me to fight him, and they must think this kid’s pretty hot.
“When you’re offered double what you would have got for Justin Gaethje — let’s say I was going to fight Justin Gaethje for half this amount.
“You’ve got to pay to play. You want a superstar, I’m the only one dumb enough to fight the kid."
UFC Fight Night: Hooker v Parnasse
Dan Hooker v Salahdine Parnasse (Main event – Lightweight)
Fares Ziam v Axel Sola (Co-main – Lightweight)
Michael Page v Nursulton Ruziboev (Co-main – Middleweight)
Daniil Donchenko v Punahele Soriano (Welterweight)
Kurtis Campbell v Trevor Peek (Featherweight)
Losene Keita v Muhammad Naimov (Featherweight)