French superstar Salahdine Parnasse reacted to his successful U.S. debut in MMA when he finished Kenny Cross at MVP MMA: Rousey vs. Carano.
Parnasse took on Cross on the main card of last night’s MVP MMA card on Netflix. The reigning and defending KSW lightweight champion has fought his entire mixed martial arts career up to this point in Europe, so coming over to North America was a big deal for him. But he made good on it with a scintillating first-round stoppage win over Cross in what was an absolutely incredible performance.
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Salahdine Parnasse Reacts to Amazing North American Debut
Taking to his social media the day after this fight, Parnasse shared his reaction to his flawless victory.
“The French dream in the United States. What a show and what a Night! Already ready for my comeback. Let’s go @mostvaluablepromotions,” Parnasse wrote on Instagram.
The win over Cross improved Parnasse’s MMA record to 23-2 with 15 stoppage wins. He has won 10 of his last 11 MMA fights overall, including wins over former UFC fighters Marcin Held and Filip Pejic, plus current UFC fighters Robert Ruchala and Morgan Charriere. In addition, he has pro boxing experience, which was evident with the way he went to Cross’s body in this fight.
What’s Next for Salahdine Parnasse?
It will be interesting to see what’s next for Parnasse following this amazing win over Cross. For many MMA fans, they certainly hope he ends up in the UFC, where he would be fighting the best of the best in the lightweight division.
According to the official disclosed payouts for MVP MMA from the California State Athletic Commission, Parnasse was paid a flat fee of $70,000 in pre-tax pay for the fight. That’s a nice payday for a fighter who was making his U.S. MMA debut, and you would have to think that if he went to the UFC, he would want a similar payday. It remains to be seen if he does end up in the UFC, but this is definitely what the hardcore fans are hoping for.
The thing about the UFC is that they usually start newer fighters off with lower pay rates, so if Parnasse did go to the UFC, he may not get the contract offer that he wants or deserves. Based on his pre-U.S. MMA career in Europe for KSW, and based on this incredible knockout win over Cross, $70,000 is a fair payday for a talent like Parnasse. But the UFC may deem it too expensive and not give him what he deserves.
Should Paransse stay in MVP MMA if they do hold another event, their matchmakers will have to find someone else on the regional scene to fight him, or perhaps bring in an ex-UFC fighter who is a free agent to compete with him instead. There are also some rumblings that MVP MMA and PFL could do some sort of collaboration, which would certainly open up even more possibilities.
Regardless, Parnasse is an extremely talented fighter, and someone who North American MMA fans will now badly want to see fight again after he showed the whole world on Netflix how good he truly is at this sport.
Salahdine Parnasse Reacts to Successful U.S. MMA Debut