Friday, December 20 in Paris in the huge La Défense Arena, Frenchman Salahdine Parnasse defends his Konfrontacja Sztuk Walki (KSW) lightweight champion belt against his compatriot Wilson Varela. The double champion of KSW, a Polish organization, with a great future, will be the headliner of the evening.
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At first glance, the boy seems shy. But don’t be fooled by appearances, you are facing a powerful and determined fighter, who has MMA in his blood. Born in Aubervilliers in the Paris suburbs, he has been training there since the age of 11 and has never left his town or his gym.
“ I’ve known him since he started here. He is a guy who is eager to learn and above all who likes to surpass himself. Already very young, he wanted to be confronted with the best and we let him rub shoulders with the best », says Stéphane “Atch” Chaufourier, the man who built Salahdine Parnasse.
Regularity at work
When he was young, Salahdine Parnasse arrived every day after school. Around the age of 17, he began doing two daily sessions, until today. “ He is incredible in his passion and consistency at work. It’s the little one “Mohamed Ali of MMA”, it touches without being touched and in terms of longevity it can go very far », Estimates the coach.
The person concerned never tires of this life built around his adulation. “ It’s a difficult sport and I sacrifice all my time for it. I wake up MMA, I eat MMA, I sleep MMA. It’s a passion that requires rigor », Confides Salahdine Parnasse with a youthful smile who has won 19 of his 21 fights.
The Atch Academy resident has been preparing for this fight for three months and he hopes to bring victory home in style, “ why not a knockout ”, and above all “ put on a show “. “ It gives me pleasure to be in Paris in front of my audience, it’s the work that pays off. I’m bringing KSW back to France, I’m bringing back a big organization, it opens doors for other French fighters and for sport in general. »
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MMA as a matter of course
Kid, Salahdine Parnasse, nicknamed the “Mbappé of MMA” couldn’t choose his sport. “ I initially wanted to do boxing, kickboxing, grappling, wrestling “. MMA has become an obvious choice. Salahdine Parnasse is convinced that this will be the flagship discipline in the coming years in France. Having become legal in France four years ago, the craze continues to grow. There are now 60,000 licensees, a number which will jump by 300% in 2024.
If MMA is still very criticized, it is criticized for its violence, Salahdine Parnasse on the contrary evokes a sport which educates. “ With MMA, I learned to manage my energy and make it positive “. And to add: “ I became an accomplished man and had a peaceful childhood thanks to this sport. I hope MMA one day becomes the Noble Art (in reference to boxing, editor’s note). »
In Aubervilliers, his stronghold, Salahdine Parnasse continues his path around a simple life devoted to his sport. “ Here, there are my family, my friends, my training room. I love this city. You can succeed even if you come from the suburbs. I want to be the best fighter and if I can be an example for young people, then that’s positive », says the man whose father was born in Guadeloupe and his mother in Morocco.
At 26, in MMA, you are still young. He, and his trainer, are still looking very far, well into their thirties.
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