“Huge lighthouse calls”: after the KSW at the Adidas Arena, what destination for Salahdine Parnasse?

He’s been waiting for this for seven years. Since March 17, 2017 exactly, and his victory against Morgan Charrière at 100% Fight, the organization created by his mentor Stéphane “Atch” Chaufourier. Since then, apart from a small foray into Belgium, it is in Poland that Salahdine Parnasse, 26, has amazed everyone, defeating his opponents one by one.

This Saturday, April 6, he returns to the capital. His organization, the KSW (Konfrontacja Sztuk Walki), has decided to leave its native Poland for the ninth time in its 20-year history, and settle down in the brand new Adidas Arena (18th century). The opportunity to parade and become famous on his land for the French champion, holder of the featherweight (-66 kg) and lightweight (-70 kg) belts.

This might be the last time. At the end of his contract with KSW, Salahdine Parnasse could even have missed this meeting with his audience. “Normally, the contract ended at the end of March,” Atch, the Frenchman’s manager, recently explained to us. But in the meantime we learned that the organization was arriving in Paris in April, so I asked for a meeting with the bosses and we talked. They wanted an extension of one more month so that he could be there, and we asked that he could fight for a third title. »

Bargain. On December 16, the man nicknamed the “Kylian Mbappé of MMA” entered the cage against the colossus Adrian Bartosinski, almost 15 kg heavier than him, and fought a memorable battle. Faced with an undefeated opponent, who had twelve victories before the limit, Salahdine Parnasse did better than resist, but ended up losing by unanimous decision after five rounds.

Three and a half months later, we are now in the famous extra month, the last. “We signed an amendment to his initial contract, and we added a clause that allows him to be free to leave directly after this fight in April,” specifies Atch. This Sunday, April 7, the native of Aubervilliers will therefore be free to engage wherever he wishes.

The UFC, the PFL or the KSW?

But where will he fly? A few months ago, his mentor spoke of “huge beacon calls” from several organizations. “The PFL, the ONE, the UFC, these are no longer even beacon calls, it’s crazy,” he assured. As negotiations approach, the options have materialized, and three organizations hold the rope. In a publication on Twitter, the Atch Academy of Salahdine Parnasse made no secret, it concerns the KSW, the PFL and the UFC.

“We’ve been at KSW for seven years, we’ve always been well received, we’re well off, they always find us fighters, even if it’s more and more complicated, so we can’t put them on the side, justifies Atch to RMC Sport. We were recently invited by the PFL (during the fight between Baki and Doumbè at the Accor Arena, on March 7), and they showed us an interest in having Salahdine in their organization. And we are in discussions, not in negotiations, with the UFC. These are discussions to find out if they are interested, we don’t talk about numbers. »

First arrival of KSW in France

This fight in France, against Moldovan Valeriu Mircea, interim champion of less than 70 kg, could allow Salahdine Parnasse to raise the stakes even further. Already highly appreciated for his young age and his insolent talent, he could take on an even greater dimension in France, a market increasingly scrutinized by the world’s largest organizations.

The KSW made no mistake, coming to Paris just a few weeks after the second evening of the PFL in the capital. Until now, the Poles had only invested the Czech Republic, England and Ireland outside their borders. But in France, the enthusiasm is enormous, the fighters are talented and progressing at extraordinary speed. The UFC noticed this during its two appearances, as the noise in the Accor Arena was deafening. The successes of Ciryl Gane, Manon Fiorot, Benoît Saint Denis and Nassourdine Imavov have finally convinced them.

An English boxing fight?

This does not mean that Salahdine Parnasse will put his initials at the bottom of a contract stamped UFC. For the moment, he only has one thing on his mind: his fight against Mircea. “I’m only 26,” he recalls. at RMC Sport. We’ll see what offers I receive, whether from KSW, UFC or PFL. For now, I’m at KSW, I’m respecting my contract, I have one fight left and I’m focused on that. »

However, he makes no secret of it: money will be a primary criterion. “It’s a combat sport, a difficult sport, we all do it to eat well,” he admits. There is glory with it but that is not what feeds the family and the children. » The UFC, which has a reputation for not paying its newcomers well, could therefore let the Ile-de-France jewel slip away.

Whatever happens, Salahdine Parnasse has a choice. Double champion at 26, the Frenchman attracted all eyes. All that remains is to carry out the negotiations. Before that, he could try another discipline: English boxing. “Fighting in English in a large Parisian hall is one of my dreams,” says the father. I have great talent in this discipline, I manage to train with big boxers, to stand up to them. » A crazy new challenge, which is undoubtedly only a foretaste of the rest of his career.

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