Salahdine Parnasse will walk into 2025 still a two-division champion.
The long-time KSW featherweight champ further extended his newer run at lightweight on Friday night with a second-round finish win over Wilson Varela.
The slick victory for Parnasse headlined KSW 101, a card titled “Le Classique” from Nanterre, France. The show was sold as a matchup similar to the famous rivalry in football between French teams Paris Saint-Germain and Marseille, as Parnasse and Varela represented those locations within the country respectively.
After finding some success in a competitive and cautious opening round, Parnasse took over the fight early in the second frame by flooring Varela with a hard left cross to the head.
Parnasse was quick to capitalize on the punch that dropped Varela, heading to the canvas to unload with ground and pound shots. From the back he unleashed a flurry of punches to the head of a recovering Varela, continuing with the strikes until the referee stopped the fight a minute into the round.
The victory continued a strong year for Parnasse, which has seen him appear in a pair of fights that have further cemented himself as a fighting champion at both 145 and 155 pounds.
Parnasse has held KSW’s featherweight title since 2021 when he avenged an upset loss against Daniel Torres to regain the belt. He has since defended the championship twice, beating Daniel Rutkowski and Robert Ruchala in recent years.
After having his interim lightweight title elevated up to undisputed status, Parnasse defended his second belt for the first time in April, making quick work of Valeriu Mircea for a first-round stoppage.
When asked about what he will pursue in the new year, Parnasse mentioned on Friday that he will consult with his team before making a decision. The French star could have a title unification rematch ready for him if he decides to head back to featherweight, as 2023 opponent Ruchala gained interim champ status earlier this year and already defended the belt once.
Varela had an impressive streak of six consecutive wins broken on Friday, including a trio of past KSW appearances. Prior performances included a 16-second victory over former title challenger Sebastian Rajewski and an April win against former lightweight king Marian Ziolkowski.
The co-main event of Friday’s card saw past UFC and Bellator fighter Marcin Held score his second KSW win, submitting France’s own Davy Gallon in the opening round with a guillotine choke.
Here are the quick results for KSW 101:
Main Card (1:00PM EST / 7:00PM CET) (KSW PPV)
Bout 10: Salahdine Parnasse def. Wilson Varela via TKO, Strikes (RD 2, 1:00) (KSW Lightweight Championship)
Bout 9: Marcin Held def. Davy Gallon via Submission, Guillotine Choke (RD 1, 2:24)
Bout 8: Laid Zerhouni def. Alain Van De Merckt via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 1:41)
Bout 7: Mickael Lebout def. Romain Debienne via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 6: Artur Szczepaniak def. Alex Lohore via TKO, Strikes (RD 2, 0:54)
Bout 5: Ramzan Jembiev def. El Hadji Ndiaye via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 2:58)
Bout 4: Alioune Nahaye def. Eduard Kexel via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 3: Nacim Belhouachi def. Damien Peltier via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 3:45)
Bout 2: Amaury Wako def. Maciej Rebacz via TKO, Strikes (RD 2, 3:40)
Bout 1: Zakaria Hamou def. Andrzej Karkula via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 1:24)
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