By Joël Pütz | Sports journalist
By extending his contract with KSW, Saladhine Parnasse has made everyone who dreamed of seeing him face bigger competition, especially in the UFC, scream. Having worked for Dana White’s MMA organization, Cyrille Diabaté gave his honest opinion on the controversy.
A two-time KSW champion, Salahdine Parnasse had absolutely nothing left to prove within the Polish federation. The time therefore seemed to have come for him to fly towards other horizons, with the UFC and the PFL in particular reaching out to him. But after careful consideration, the French superstar extended his contract with his employer.
The reason for this was simple: the KSW offered 20 to 30 times more money than the UFC for example, allowing him to automatically take shelter while he is still only 26 years old. But this argument does not suit many fans who were quick to burn it down in public. YouTube channel guest BoxingFrench MMA legend Cyrille Diabaté, however, came to his defense:
Cyrille Diabaté defends Parnasse after his extension at KSW
For me, he is the best French fighter in all categories, and for several years. I understand. You are faced with a reality. The reality is the financial aspect. When you’re 26, you have a family, you have kids, a mom, brothers and sisters, and you want to make everyone happy, what he does makes sense. You can sign with the UFC at 28, he will still be young.
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Having spent his career in the UFC, Diabaté has never made huge financial gains there and therefore fully understands Parnasse’s choice. As he insists, the Aubervilliers native is still young and will be able to focus on sporting glory later, once he has lined his pockets. A bit like Baki Chamsoudinov in the PFL… but as with the Franco-Chechen, it doesn’t seem enough.
For Cyrille Diabaté, Salahdine Parnasse made a smart choice as KSW offered him an XXL golden bridge in order to keep him. However, we hope that if he ever joins the UFC, the French prodigy can live up to expectations… because in case of disappointment, the backlash could be colossal for Cédric Doumbé’s great friend.
