Salahdine Parnasse wants 'war' with Max Holloway after UFC Paris debut, has no interest in taking it slow

Salahdine Parnasse officially arrived as a lightweight contender at UFC Paris this past Saturday . And after a stellar performance in his much-anticipated promotional debut, the former KSW two-division champion already knows who he wants next.

Tasked with veteran lightweight contender Dan Hooker in Saturday's main event, Parnasse (24-2) only needed minutes to put away "Hangman" with a vicious body kick. Speaking on Tuesday's edition of "The Ariel Helwani Show," Parnasse expressed how eager he is to fight again. If the Frenchman had his way, he'd go again tomorrow after taking no damage against Hooker and instantly returning to training on Monday.

Parnasse, 28, said he's eying at least one more fight in 2026 — and sitting squarely in his crosshairs is the former BMF and featherweight champion, Max Holloway.

"It could be good for Max Holloway to accept the fight, because Max, he really likes challenges," Parnasse told Uncrowned through an interpreter. "And Max knows that I'm a very, very good fighter, and we can do very good work together. So I think that it could be a very, very good fight and a very good war. Max really likes that, and also, I think he is very humble.

"This fight will be with a lot of respect because I respect Max a lot."

After the anticlimactic scenes of Holloway's rematch with Conor McGregor in July , the all-time great featherweight-turned-lightweight contender seems content waiting on the sidelines until a McGregor trilogy fight is possible in 2027. In the case that Parnasse can't land the big fish that is Hawaii's finest, he just wants someone ranked in the top five.

"I can fight anyone. I'm ready for anyone in the top five," Parnasse said. "I really want to get to the top five. Right now, Max Holloway would be the perfect fight for me."

Prior to his seemingly inevitable arrival in the UFC, Parnasse was a force on MMA's European scene, capturing two titles with Poland's KSW promotion and establishing himself as one of the most talented lightweights in the entire world. The latest win over Hooker extended Parnasse's win streak to six, but despite his great success outside of the Octagon, a fair bit of skepticism still existed ahead of UFC Paris about whether or not he was ready for the sport's biggest stage.

In Parnasse's fight before Paris, he made his debut on U.S. soil with an impressive first-round finish of Kenneth Cross on Netflix's MVP MMA event this past May .

Between that, as well as his impressive run through KSW, Parnasse believed the time was finally perfect for his UFC run to begin.

"I really think it was good timing for me," Parnasse said. "There's a new generation coming into the UFC, and I really think it was a good time to have some new challenges to maybe get the belt one day with this new generation."

As for the critics, Parnasse believes there isn't much left to silence. His performances have spoken for themselves, and he's ready to keep making noise with his actions en route to an eventual title opportunity.

"I really, really think that I'm ready, and I trained for a long time for that — since I was 11 years old. I was very ready for that," Parnasse said.

"I did three fights before the belt in the KSW against the big names in KSW. I did a great fight, and for the UFC, I don't know what's going to happen. I called out for Max Holloway. I really hope that he's going to accept, but I want to follow my manager and see what's going to happen."