The UFC continues its international travels with a stop in Paris, France, on Saturday, as Accor Arena plays host to a 14-fight Fight Night card topped by a lightweight headliner between Dan Hooker and the debuting Salahdine Parnasse.
France’s Parnasse (23-2 MMA) enters the Octagon on a five-fight winning streak with six wins by KO/TKO since 2017. On the other side, Hooker (24-14 MMA) has been a lightweight divisional mainstay for nearly a decade and has fought some of the best the division has offered throughout a UFC career that includes nine finishes.
Unlike Parnasse, New Zealand’s Hooker is on a two-fight losing skid.
Despite the opposite directions, Parnasse told UFC.com this week how grateful he is to finally earn a long-awaited UFC shot against a ranked opponent.
“I think it’s perfect timing,” Parnasse said via translation. “I’m arriving with maturity; I’m 28 years old; I have all this (experience) fighting in other places, and I have everything I need to show in there in the cage.”
Parnasse said Hooker is a dynamic striker, but isn’t someone whose style he is unfamiliar with.
Dan Hooker Confident Entering UFC Paris Main Event
Nov 12, 2022; New York, NY, USA; Dan Hooker (red gloves) and Claudio Puelles (blue gloves) during UFC 281 at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Jessica Alcheh-USA TODAY Sports | USA TODAY Sports
“Dan Hooker is very strong, very experienced, and that’s why he’s at the top in the UFC,” Parnasse said. “I think he’s a big challenge and I love this challenge.”
Parnasse added how exciting Hooker’s style is, which intrigues him overall.
“I think he’s a very explosive guy — he likes to do a lot in his fights — and I think with me, it’s a perfect fight because we’re both two guys that like to go in there and put on a show in the cage,” Parnasse said.
Hooker agrees with Parnasse, admitting that as soon as the fight was offered, he accepted without hesitation.
“No one else plays the game like I play the game,” Hooker told MMAFighting.com. “I play on high volatility. I play it on high risk. At the end of the day, I’m a prizefighter. I’m here for the biggest prize and this is the biggest prize that is being offered in the world. I’ll be there with bells on.”
With the event taking place internationally, U.S.-based viewers will be treated to an afternoon start. The prelims get underway at noon ET/9 a.m. PT, with the main card following at 3 p.m. ET/noon PT; both stream live on Paramount+ (subscription required).
The full bout order, alongside betting odds, is below, courtesy of bet365.
UFC Paris Betting Odds & Bout Order
Jeff Bottari-Zuffa LL
Main card: 3 p.m. ET / noon PTMain Event: Dan Hooker (+400) vs. Salahdine Parnasse (-550), lightweightCo-Main Event: Farés Ziam (-160) vs. Axel Sola (+135), lightweightMichael Page (-190) vs. Nursulton Ruziboev (+160), middleweightDaniil Donchenko (-245) vs. Punahele Soriano (+200), welterweightKurtis Campbell (-400) vs. Trevor Peek (+310), featherweightLosene Keita (-360) vs. Muhammad Naimov (+280), featherweightPreliminary card: noon ET / 9 a.m. PTFeatured Prelim: Morgan Charrière (+160) vs. Felipe Lima (-190), featherweightMario Pinto (-315) vs. Ryan Spann (+255), heavyweightOumar Sy (-230) vs. Modestas Bukauskas (+190), light heavyweightNathaniel Wood (-300) vs. Pavel Andrusca (+240), featherweightMichael Aljarouj (-125) vs. Fabia Sintes (+105), flyweightNora Cornolle (-115) vs. Klaudia Sygula (-105), women’s bantamweightMatthieu Letho Duclos (-145) vs. Luis Felipe Dias (+120), middleweight
Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
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