UFC Paris 2026 Betting Picks: Best Bets for Parnasse vs. Hooker and More

In what has become a Labor Day weekend tradition since the country of France’s legalization of the sport of Mixed Martial Arts, the Octagon will be in the City of Lights. UFC Paris takes place on September 5 at the Accor Arena.

In what is a rarity for the UFC, a promotional debutant will have the main event spotlight, as French-Moroccan Salahdine Parnasse arrives and takes on Dan Hooker.

Parnasse is considered one of the best fighters outside the UFC, winning featherweight and lightweight gold in KSW – and holding both simultaneously. Parnasse, who also attempted to win gold in a third weight class at 170, made his U.S. debut at the MVP MMA card in May, finishing Kenneth Cross in one round.

Hooker will look to bounce back from back-to-back losses, falling to Arman Tsarukyan at UFC Qatar last November and Benoit Saint-Denis at UFC 325.

Lightweights also feature in the co-main event as Fares Ziam takes on Axel Sola. Ziam saw a six-fight win streak snapped at the hands of Tom Nolan at UFC Vegas 118 in June. Sola, meanwhile, looks to continue the momentum off his first-round submission of Ismael Bonfim at UFC Abu Dhabi in July.

The rest of the main card includes Michael “Venom” Page vs. Nursulton Ruziboev, Daniil Donchenko vs. Punahele Soriano, Kurtis Campbell vs. Trevor Peek, and Losene Keita vs. Muhammad Naimov.

SALAHDINE PARNASSE VS DAN HOOKER

This is a tale of two different stories, both resulting in a need for the fighter to win the matchup at hand. For Parnasse, he needs to score a major victory to make the statement that he is what he’s hyped – and to show he should be in the lightweight contender picture already. For Hooker, he’s never lost three in a row before and needs a win to show he can still hang with the best at 155.

Parnasse is one of the best all-around talents outside the UFC; he’s got a creative striking skillset and can hold his own when it comes to grappling. He’s going to want to try and manage range and pressure to get the statement finish he wants. Hooker, however, is a massive step-up in competition and has a unique size and frame that has troubled opponents previously. If Parnasse is not careful while trying to enter, Hooker could make him pay with his own striking, elbows and knees included.

BET: Parnasse to win AND under 2.5 rounds (BetMGM SGP: +110)

MICHAEL “VENOM” PAGE VS NURSULTON RUZIBOEV

While the two main event competitors have their own pressures, so does Page. This is the last fight on MVP’s UFC contract, and it’s safe to say his run in the promotion – while he’s scored wins – has been a disappointment when compared to the knockout artist we’ve seen while he was with Bellator. Ruziboev is 5-1 since starting with the UFC, and he’s taking on his biggest test and biggest-named opponent yet.

Ruziboev could find himself in some danger if MVP’s creative striking comes into play, but his best strength (and route to victory) is getting this fight to the ground, where we’ve seen him do damage before. Page will want to keep his distance and use his long limbs to land from range. At the same time, while the 39-year-old is ranked No. 8 at 185, he needs to get a big performance to earn the attention and conversation he wants on him while trying to get a new contract and a route to a UFC title shot. It’s hard to trust when we haven’t seen that yet, however.

BET: Page via decision (FanDuel: +135)

LOSENE KEITA VS MUHAMMAD NAIMOV

This fight’s all about rebounding too – Keita won gold at two weight classes in OKTAGON, but he disappointed greatly in his UFC debut against Nathaniel Wood. Now, he’ll look to bring his power and expert-level striking against Naimov. Naimov can be a tough cookie to crack, though, and his power will force Keita to be smart about when and how to pick his shots.

Keita will need to overwhelm Naimov with his power and combinations. Otherwise, it’ll be a tough conversation about Keita while Naimov scores a major victory.

BET: Keita to win via KO/TKO/DQ (FanDuel, DraftKings, & BetMGM: -110)

BONUS: NATHANIEL WOOD VS PAVEL ANDRUSCA

Speaking of Wood, he’ll be competing in the prelims against Pavel Andrusca. Andrusca is 8-0 with seven finishes, including wins with UAE Warriors, and he takes this fight on short notice after Mairon Santos fell ill. Andrusca can be a problem if Wood is not careful – just see some of his power for yourself. But Wood is a step up in competition for Andrusca; he’s more experienced, and he’s seeking to keep his spot in the top-10 at featherweight.

BET: Wood via decision (FanDuel: -110)