American MMA outlet MMA Mania has proposed a lightweight bout between Azerbaijani fighter Rafael Fiziev and Frenchman Salahdine Parnasse.
As reported by İdman.Biz, journalist Adam Guillen examined potential next opponents for the winners of UFC Paris in a recently published article. In his view, Fiziev is the most logical option for Parnasse, who knocked out Dan Hooker in the first round of the evening's main event.
The author notes that such an impressive debut deserves a place in the lightweight top 15, but the Frenchman's next fight should provide a higher-level test. Parnasse called out Max Holloway after his victory, although MMA Mania believes a matchup with Fiziev makes more sense at this stage.
The outlet cites the Azerbaijani's striking skills, his No. 13 position in the rankings, and his recent knockout victory over Manuel Torres at UFC Baku in June this year. Guillen emphasizes that both fighters favor an entertaining style, making their potential meeting one of the division's most exciting matchups.
Notably, Fiziev had previously expressed interest in fighting Dan Hooker, whom Parnasse stopped in Paris. Following his victory over Ignacio Bahamondes at UFC Baku in June 2025, "Ataman" named the New Zealander as his desired next opponent. He explained that he enjoys facing tall fighters and praised the entertainment value of Hooker's bouts. Fiziev had also publicly proposed a fight with Hooker in September 2024, suggesting it could be a contender for fight of the year.
The matchup proposed by MMA Mania is therefore also interesting from a sporting perspective: Parnasse has just defeated a fighter with whom Fiziev had previously wanted to share the Octagon.
It should be noted that this is solely a journalist's matchmaking proposal. There has been no official UFC announcement of a Fiziev–Parnasse fight, nor any confirmed information about negotiations between the two sides.
