Salahdine Parnasse’s brief flirtation with free agency has ended, as the KSW double-champ has opted to re-sign with the promotion.
France’s Parnasse (19-2), just 26-years old, holds featherweight and lightweight gold with the Polish promotion, and challenged Adrian Bartosiński for a third title, unsuccessfully, late last year. Despite that setback, Parnasse remains one of the most talented fighters outside the UFC, and bounced back in April with a head kick finish of Valeriu Mircea.
Entering free agency just weeks ago, there was a chance that Parnasse might have been snapped up by the UFC or PFL, among other potential suitors. However, on Friday, KSW officials announced via press release that the French star and double champ had opted to sign a new, multi-fight deal with the promotion.
Terms of the deal were not released. However, KSW were sure to sing the praises of Parnasse in Friday’s press release, which noted the company’s recent French debut.
“Salahdine Parnasse is a true gem in the world of MMA and one of the brightest stars of KSW. The spectacular Frenchman has 21 bouts under his belt and he won 19 of them. In KSW, he became the champion of the featherweight and lightweight division. The 26-year-old is dominating the world of mixed martial arts and people call him ‘The Kylian Mbappe of French MMA’ for a reason. Parnasse has been a part of KSW since 2017. His last bout which took place in Paris ended with Valeriu Mircea having to recognize his superiority. Thus Salahdine defended his lightweight championship belt for the first time in front of his own audience.”
Parnasse is part of a wave of talented French fighters who have emerged in the years since France legalized MMA. Those include Ciryl Gane, a former UFC interim heavyweight champ, and Cedric Doumbe, who has turned into a sizable star for the PFL.
