Dan Hooker Says Death Threats Are Fueling Him for UFC Paris

Dan Hooker didn't hesitate when the UFC asked him to headline UFC Paris on September 5 against unbeaten French prospect Salahdine Parnasse. The problem started after he said yes. The #9-ranked lightweight, 24-14 in his career with 11 knockouts and seven submissions, says he's been buried under death threats from French fans since the booking dropped last weekend.

Hooker told Submission Radio the messages have been, in his words, outrageous — a steady stream of people telling him in French that they're going to kill him. And here's the twist: he says none of it happened last time out, when he fought another French favorite in Benoît Saint Denis. That fight ended badly for Hooker, a second-round TKO loss to punches, but the fans, he says, behaved.

The BSD Comparison

The Kiwi drew a sharp line between the two fanbases. He credited Saint Denis for being a respectful guy whose supporters follow his lead. Parnasse's crowd, by Hooker's blunt assessment, is a different animal entirely. Whatever the reason, Hooker's framing the whole thing as evidence he's already living rent-free in an entire country's head.

That's not a bad spot for a career spoiler. Hooker knows exactly what role he's been handed — fly into hostile territory, headline in front of a home crowd desperate to see their guy win, and try to wreck the party. He said outright that he's there to ruin hopes and dreams, and that shutting Parnasse's lights out would feel pretty sweet.

Why the UFC Is Betting on Parnasse

The threats are ugly, but they underline something real: the UFC clearly sees a star in Parnasse. Handing a debutant a main event slot in his home country is a rare vote of confidence, and Hooker gets it. Parnasse wants to crack the top 10 and become a superstar on night one. Hooker's job is to make him earn every inch of it.

For Hooker, this is also a rebound spot after the Saint Denis loss, and he's turning the inbox full of abuse into fuel. He said his plan is simple — fly to France and ruin everyone's night. The two meet in the UFC Paris main event on September 5 at the Accor Arena, and if the pre-fight noise is any indication, the arena won't need much prompting to boo.