No need to look for an obscure Polish great-grandfather, like former defender Damien Perquis, who went international after long efforts. Salahdine Parnasse could request the nationality of Lech Walesa so that he would have the passport within the hour. The French fighter, one of the leading figures of the Polish organization KSW (Konfrontacja Sztuk Walki), even managed to bring Poland back to Paris for the second time, this Friday, where he will face his compatriot in the main event Wilson Varela at La Defense Arena.
Holder of the featherweight and lightweight title, Parnasse (27 years old) could even have become, a year ago, the first fighter to hold three belts in three different categories. After his defeat against the Pole Adrian Bartosinski, some expected the Dyonisian to leave KSW, which he returned in all directions, to join the UFC, the large American organization, “the first division of MMA, the League even champions,” according to Daniel Woirin, former coach of Anderson Silva and Benoît Saint-Denis.
Six times less in the UFC than in the PFL for Doumbè
So why not take on the best in the octagon? Exclusively for financial reasons. And Parnasse doesn’t hide it: “I arrived in this organization when I was 20, they respect me very well and I am treated well,” he explained on RMC Sports. I have always fought to earn my living. If I go back to the UFC, I will have to work again. There, I can live fully from my sport. » The Americans did not align with what the KSW proposed, namely a salary equivalent to the top 3 UFC.
“The UFC, above the top 10, they hardly make a living from their sport,” indicates David Foucher, Cédric Doumbè’s manager. And top 5, we earn a very good living. In our case, the UFC offered six times less than the PFL [une autre organisation]. Six times less when you’re 32, you still think twice. » Especially since signing with the UFC does not guarantee a guaranteed golden bridge for your entire career. To earn a good living, you must at least wait for the third contract (one contract generally equals four fights), with the risk of being released at any time.
Yes, because the American dream is good, but if you don’t satisfy Dana White and her cronies, the door is shown to you without much care. Just ask Yanis Ghemourri, who signed a four-fight contract with the UFC only to get fired after two losses. “They sent an email to my manager, and once they made the decision, it was over,” explains the fighter. And even if you perform, you win, they can decide to put you aside because what they want first is a show, it’s a knockout, it’s trash talk to satisfy the crowd. general public. »
« The UFC, they have the right of life and death over the fighters, summarizes David Foucher. And then, they are super restrictive. All our delusions with Cédric, the mattress, the ambulance, the “Baki you’re dead”, it’s impossible to do in the UFC. Everything is much more compartmentalized, the room for maneuver is very little. » »
“The UFC sometimes functions like a McDonald’s »
Another advantage of the KSW or the PFL, for a French fighter, is to be able to come and fight at home a little more often, while the UFC only comes once a year to Paris. And who says combat in France, says more visibility, more sponsors, in a discipline where partners are still few in number. And therefore more money, the crux of the matter. “We can present a more direct approach to a fighter, who is treated like a big star,” explains Wojslaw Rysiewski, matchmaker at KSW. For Salahdine, we can build shows in France around him, and we can offer him more. This is how we can sometimes win these battles against the UFC. »
« The UFC sometimes works like McDonald’s, adds the Pole. They have certain rules and in every McDonald’s the Big Mac looks the same. We have a slightly different approach. Obviously we had our champions and when the day came we couldn’t beat the UFC’s offer and they went to pursue their dreams in the UFC. »
Because, yes, with its thirty years of experience, the UFC remains the sporting holy grail to achieve for any MMA fighter, where the sport’s elite are found. And even if the entry check is lower and the risks of being « fireeeeed » important, “signing with the UFC, in terms of images and sponsorship, it’s much easier for your career,” says Daniel Woirin. It’s so ingrained in the landscape of our sport that some even confuse UFC and MMA. The UFC opens doors. »
“And then, from a logistical point of view, they are really the best,” reports Ghemmouri. They are at the cutting edge of technology, they really think of everything. You need something at any time, they’re there. You arrive at the hotel, they take care of you. You have doctors, you have physiotherapists. You really can do anything. » “The UFC, they are so superior,” adds Woirin. For cutting, for example, they have a whole staff who takes care of it, with meals prepared by dietitians. They put everything in place. The guy loses weight under the right conditions. Only the UFC does that. I’ve never seen this in any other organization. »
A unified fight one day?
So, similar to what boxing can offer, will we one day be able to see a fight to unify the UFC/KSW/PFL belts to see who is the best fighter in the world? It is not for tomorrow, assure all our experts. “We would love to, but it will never happen, unfortunately, because the UFC would have a lot to lose,” says David Foucher. If, tomorrow, the PFL champion beats the UFC champion, from a credibility point of view, they will lose a lot. »
“I don’t think it’s possible with the UFC, because they don’t want to be co-promoters,” adds Wojslaw Rysiewski. That’s their business model, they just prefer to wait and sign guys. » And there is no doubt that Salahdine Parnasse could be next, finally with a contract worthy of it. “It’s really a matter of time before he goes to the UFC,” Ghemmouri believes. Sooner or later, I think he will. And the UFC remains a childhood dream. We all watched it on TV, we grew up with it. » A kid from Seine-Saint-Denis who realizes his dream by hitting the jackpot, doesn’t that remind you of someone?
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