9/5/26
The UFC returns to France once again for another card full of vicious finishes, iconic celebrations, and a new star emerging in the toughest division in the sport. The main event features a decorated fighter, Dan Hooker, taking on who many think could be the future of the division, Salahdine Parnasse. Parnasse is a former champion in KSW and made a stunning UFC debut. The rest of the card featured eight finishes across fourteen fights and multiple devastating knockouts. France delivers again as they always have in the past for the UFC. Here is a recap of UFC Fight Night: Hooker vs Parnasse
Losene Keita vs Muhammad Naimov: Featherweight
Losene Keita put on the best performance of his career after demolishing Muhammad Naimov in the first round. Keita came out with fury after coming off a loss in his last fight; he needed to blow off some steam. In one of the first combinations he threw, he stunned Naimov and opened up a cut under his right eye. From there, Naimov was compromised, and Keita put the pressure on. A jab would drop Naimov face-first, and while Naimov did seem to recover, it was only a matter of time. Keita then landed a massive right hook that slumped Naimov out cold on the canvas. He made a callout to Lerone Murphy in his post-fight interview, who is the #3-ranked featherweight in the world. Keita has a while before he is granted that fight, but if he continues to fight as he did in this one, it very well could happen.
Kurtis Campbell vs Trevor Peek: Featherweight
Campbell got off to a dominant start in the first round, landing clean multiple times and opening up a cut on the face of Peek with a head kick. From there, Campbell secured a takedown and controlled the fight with ease on the ground. There wasn’t much Peek could do and the first round was likely 10-8. He also landed big ground elbows that sliced Peek up one again. Campbell continued in the second round on the ground in dominant fashion. Constantly looking for submission and moving Peek around at will. Cambell did even better on the second round than the first in the grappling and the levels were clearly different for the two fighters. It all came to fruition in the third round where Campbell got the takedown, took the back, and got the submission win. A great performance from Campbell who just put the featherweight division on notice.
Daniil Donchenko vs Punahele Soriano: Welterweight
Daniil Donchenko styled his way to a victory over Punahele Soriano. The first round was debatably a 10-8 round as Donchenko knocked Soriano down, landed heavy leg kicks, and massive combinations that did big damage. He was having fun in the octagon as he was attempting spinning strikes throughout the fight, taunting the crowd, etc. His striking was very clean, from kicks to counterpunching, and then his best weapon, which was his hooks that got past the guard. The second round was dominant as well, just not as volume-heavy, but still impressive work from Donchenko. Soriano slowly worked his way back into the fight after the initial onslaught and even won round three on a judges’ scorecard with his grappling and ground control. A big win for Donchenko as he looks for a ranked opponent in his next fight.
Michael Venom Page vs Nursulton Ruziboev: Middleweight
The first round went to Ruziboev as he got a takedown just five seconds into the fight and controlled Page on the ground for the majority of the five minutes. While not much damage was done, the control time was enough to win the round. MVP would win the next two rounds, although few strikes were landed between the two throughout the rest of the fight. Page did land a knee stomp, a spinning elbow, and a few right hands, but nothing of any significance. Both fighters seemed hesitant to engage, but MVP did just enough to get the victory. He is now on a four-fight win streak and could have a ranked opponent next.
Fares Ziam vs Axel Sola: Lightweight
Axel Sola flatlined Fares Ziam out cold just 90 seconds into the fight in what was a brutal and scary knockout. Sola landed a massive left hand as he slipped Ziam’s strike and absolutely starched Ziam limp. Not too much you can say about that performance besides wow. Both fighters were French, so no matter what, France was going to get a winner in this fight, but fans likely didn’t expect it to happen in such vicious fashion. Sola is now on a two-fight win streak and looking to break into the top-15 rankings in his next fight.
Dan Hooker vs Salahdine Parnasse: Lightweight
Salahdine Parnasse proved any doubters wrong with his round one KO of Dan Hooker in quick order. There was a lot of buzz when Parnasse announced he would join the UFC after his legendary career in KSW, where he is a former champion and 14-2 in the promotion. Many fans think that any fighter from another organization can’t hang in the UFC, but Parnasse proved them wrong and then some. Especially against someone as battle-tested and tough as Dan Hooker. He now is a top ten fighter in the division, and he said before the bout that if he wins, he is looking for a title fight within two or three more wins. A crowd favorite as the Frenchman delivers in his home country. A dangerous lightweight fighter has emerged in the UFC, and he is looking for gold. At the age of 28, he may be finding that opportunity soon.
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