Dan Hooker is leaning into the spoiler role before Salahdine Parnasse makes his UFC debut in the UFC Paris main event. Hooker told UFC on Paramount that Parnasse is not getting a soft introduction on Saturday at Accor Arena, even after the former KSW two-division champion promised a master class and named Max Holloway as a dream fight.
The source interview is below.
Hooker said the hostile setting is part of the appeal, because he believes the night needs someone willing to interrupt the hometown celebration.
“It’s the fun of it, right? That’s the fun of it. We can’t, um, you can’t just come out here and and and it’s not a fairy tale, you know what I mean? We’re not in the sport. We’re not in the sport of fairy tales. Um, there needs to be a villain for there to be a good story and and I’m more than happy to kind of play that role where we’ve got a sold-out arena here.”
“The most passionate fans in the world from what I’m hearing. These boys get quite loud, uh, behind their fighter. And I’d love to. Yeah. Well, that adds to it, right? If there’s a guy out there that that is gonna enjoy ruining their time, it makes everything a little bit sweeter.”
Parnasse officially made weight first for the lightweight main event earlier Friday, which kept the fight intact after the UFC Paris weigh-in. Hooker said his opinion of Parnasse changed after watching more of his work.
“I accepted that I’d fight Francis Ngannou for the amount of money that they were bringing to the table. So, I was more than happy to fight this bloke. Um, but yeah, once I did look in cuz yeah, you obviously see that like a guy that’s been pretty patient with his career. Could have been taking his time and and avoiding the hard yards and padding his record. So, when we went and had a look, that’s not the case.”
“He’s been fighting a high level of competition for a long period of time. He’s had a lot of fights. He’s developed outside of the UFC and he’s coming in and and this is his, yeah, this is his his, he wants to skip the queue.”
Hooker Sees A Heavy Debut Burden For Parnasse
Hooker described Parnasse as a complete fighter, but he also argued that the same resume has made this UFC debut unusually unforgiving.
“I’ve obviously developed inside of the UFC and he’s been able to refine his skills on the smaller circuit. Um, so he’s coming into the UFC as a as a complete fighter. So yeah, it’s just two ways about doing business.”
“But I feel like he’s painted himself into a bit of a into a bit of a corner here where it’s like this is this is make or break for him. He’s spent all this time refining his skills and and being really smart about which fights he takes at the right time. Um, and now he’s stepping into the UFC.”
“He’s been saying that he’s a championship UFC level caliber for for the longest time. So now he’s coming in as the main event in his hometown. It’s kind of, I feel like it’s make or break.”
Hooker also pushed back on the idea that Parnasse has already handled this exact kind of pressure just because he has fought in front of big crowds in France.
“Oh man, I’ve been there. I’ve been there, man. I made my debut in my hometown and, um, I’ve almost, I’ve also main evented in my hometown and we are not even playing the same game. I just get to fly in there under the no expectations, no, um, there’s no pressure on me. I know the pressure of fighting in your hometown and it’s unmatched.”
The interview also circled back to Hooker’s own preparation. After the losses to Benoit Saint Denis and Arman Tsarukyan, Hooker said he had to correct the habits that built up between camps, an issue that added context to his recent UFC rewatch with Dustin Poirier.
“I had like four surgeries back to back and then just kind of I needed to keep, I wasn’t able to train. I wasn’t able to be in the gym. Um, and so I had to, I got distracted with a lot of other things. Obviously run my own fight show and and have a few businesses and you’re getting dragged for meetings and and traveling and this and that.”
“Success has its downfalls. And so I was getting pulled in a million different directions. And and, you know, but with the result of the last two fights, it’s a real wakeup call that you need to be giving this thing your your the right amount of time and energy.”
Hooker also answered when asked whether he had a message for Usman Nurmagomedov, another high-level lightweight linked to a possible UFC move.
“He has to come through me. That’s it. It’s not necessarily a message to him. Oh, I would like that fight and and if he’s going to come into the UFC, then I’m the guy. That’s my job is to welcome these guys think that they they can compete at the highest level of the UFC, um, in these other organizations and come in. They have to come through me.”
Hooker enters the bout as the experienced UFC veteran, while Parnasse arrives as the hometown newcomer carrying a long reputation from outside the promotion. Hooker’s message was direct: Parnasse may already be polished, but Paris will test whether that polish survives the UFC main-event spotlight.
