UFC Fight Night: Hooker vs. Parnasse Preview: Full Fight Card Breakdown
The UFC returns to Paris for the fifth consecutive year, and this time the card looks different from anything originally planned. Tom Aspinall vs. Ciryl Gane — a heavyweight title fight that would have reshaped the top of the biggest division in the sport — was cancelled before the event could be fully built around it. In its place, the promotion has constructed a card headlined by one of the most anticipated UFC debuts in recent memory: French superstar Salahdine Parnasse steps into the Octagon for the first time, in his own backyard, at the Accor Arena on September 5.
The venue will be packed. It always is in September Paris. But this card carries an added charge.
Full Fight Card
| Fight | Weight Class | Card Section |
|---|---|---|
| Dan Hooker vs. Salahdine Parnasse | Lightweight | Main Card |
| Farès Ziam vs. Axel Sola | Lightweight | Main Card |
| Michael Page vs. Nursulton Ruziboev | Middleweight | Main Card |
| Punahele Soriano vs. Daniil Donchenko | Welterweight | Main Card |
| Felipe Lima vs. Morgan Charrière | Featherweight | Main Card |
| Losene Keita vs. Muhammad Naimov | Featherweight | Main Card |
| Mário Pinto vs. Ryan Spann | Heavyweight | Main Card |
| Trevor Peek vs. Kurtis Campbell | Featherweight | Main Card |
| Oumar Sy vs. Modestas Bukauskas | Light Heavyweight | Main Card |
| Fabia Sintes vs. Michael Aljarouj | Flyweight | Main Card |
| Nora Cornolle vs. Klaudia Syguła | Bantamweight | Main Card |
| Matthieu Letho Duclos vs. Luis Felipe Dias | Middleweight | Main Card |
| Delphine Benouaich vs. Sofia Montenegro | Strawweight | Main Card |
Main Event: Dan Hooker vs. Salahdine Parnasse — Lightweight
Salahdine Parnasse arrives in the UFC with the kind of resume that made the call inevitable. The 28-year-old from Aubervilliers won back-to-back KSW Featherweight titles before claiming the KSW Lightweight belt, building a 23-2 record with 15 finishes along the way. His most recent outing — a first-round body shot KO over Kenneth Cross at MVP MMA 1 in the United States — confirmed that his finishing ability is not tied to a comfortable European context.
Parnasse makes his debut against a genuine measuring stick. Dan Hooker (24-14) is not a soft introductory opponent. The New Zealander has headlined UFC events and spent years as a top-15 lightweight, competing against elite-level fighters throughout his career. He comes off back-to-back losses — to Arman Tsarukyan and to Benoît Saint-Denis — but has demonstrated striking quality and durability at the highest level consistently.
The Accor Arena crowd will be firmly behind Parnasse, and the oddsmakers agree: Parnasse comes in around 1.18 decimal, with Hooker sitting closer to 5.00. For Hooker to pull the result, he needs to disrupt Parnasse's rhythm early and make the fight physical enough to neutralize the French fighter's technical precision. For Parnasse, a clean UFC debut against a verified top-15 fighter would open a short path to the rankings.
Co-Main Event: Farès Ziam vs. Axel Sola — Lightweight
The co-main event is entirely French. Farès Ziam and Axel Sola, two of the country's most active lightweights, collide in front of a crowd that has a stake in both outcomes.
Ziam was riding a six-fight winning streak before Tom Nolan stopped that run in June. He now returns to the Accor Arena, where he's 2-0 with stoppage victories, making this a calculated and familiar environment. He enters at 1.56 decimal odds, favoured but not heavily. Sola joined the UFC in August 2025 and added a first-round submission over Ismaël Bonfim in July. The jump in competition level is steep, but Sola's submission threat makes him dangerous regardless of the matchup quality gap. The winner moves measurably closer to a top-15 ranking in one of the UFC's deepest divisions.
Michael Page vs. Nursulton Ruziboev — Middleweight
Michael "Venom" Page is 39 years old and still one of the most distinctive offensive stylists on the roster. He has won three straight at middleweight with a style built on lateral movement, timing, and singular counter-striking angles. His previous wins at 185 pounds over Magomedov and Cannonier show he can translate his skill set to the division.
Nursulton Ruziboev comes in at 5-2 in the UFC with three consecutive wins, the most recent being a neck crank finish at UFC Baku. He is physical, tenacious, and has a working submission game — the kind of pressure fighter who can take away the space Page relies on. The middleweight division remains in flux behind the title picture, and a win here for either man pushes them toward ranked consideration.
Nora Cornolle vs. Klaudia Syguła — Women's Bantamweight
Nora Cornolle brings a French angle into the women's bantamweight contest. She's gone 3-3 in the UFC and is now in the middle of a two-fight losing streak, including a second-round KO loss to Joselyne Edwards. A hometown card is the right setting for a reset, but there's pressure attached.
Klaudia Syguła arrives in France on a two-fight winning streak, most recently defeating Priscila Cachoeira. The Polish bantamweight is improving and confident, and will not be affected by being the away fighter in the Accor Arena. Both women are competing for continued roster relevance. The stakes are straightforward.
Other Fights to Watch
Ryan Spann, a former light heavyweight, tests himself at heavyweight against Mário Pinto. Oumar Sy faces Modestas Bukauskas in a light heavyweight bout that could establish where Sy fits in a division with an open ceiling. Morgan Charrière defends his French credentials against Felipe Lima at featherweight, and the Paris crowd will have an opinion on that one too.
Thirteen fights. Fifth year running. Paris delivers.