Chase Hooper realises that if he wants a victory this weekend he will have to get the fight to the ground. Hooper will be competing at UFC St. Louis against Viacheslav Borshchev and will be looking to get his hand raised.
Chase Hooper Expecting This Fight to Be Grappler vs Striker
When Hooper was breaking down this fight he explained that he sees this as a classic striker vs grappler match-up. This is most likely due to 6 of Borshchev’s 7 victories have came by way of knockout. This is different to Hooper who would prefer to get the fight to the ground. This allows him to use his impressive grappling game to submit his opponents. When explaining this fight Hooper stated on Just Scrap Radio on BJPenn.com;
“It’s an exciting fight, I think they are trying to test how I will do against a heavy striker and how he will do against a heavy grappler to see who is ready for that next jump up in the division,”
“We are both finishers so that makes it an exciting fight. If it stays on the feet, that favors him, if it goes to the ground, that favors me. It makes for a fun fight, it’s very black and white.”
Hooper Has Full Faith in Getting Fight to the Ground
Chase Hooper believes he can get Borshchev down to the ground to be able to use his ground game. Hooper believes his ground game will be beneficial for him when he tries to get the finish in St. Louis.
“I got to grapple him and see how well I can implement that, while he is trying to beat me up on the feet and try not to get wrestled. It’s really going to be figuring out who can get to the area where they can win the easiest. I feel like his cardio, he slows down but mentally he is really solid. He hasn’t been finished yet, and the start of the rounds after he gets grappled he is trying to get the kill. I think the grappling, I have a hard style to replicate and I think I will grapple him up and take home that win,”
Hoped for Quick Turnaround After UFC Vegas 82
Hooper started his UFC career off as a featherweight however, in his first 6 fights he has gone 3-3. Hooper made the move over to lightweight where he has found success since moving weight classes. Chase Hooper is currently 2-0 in the lightweight division and is coming off a submission victory over Jordan Leavitt. This was due to a rear naked choke in the first round. He has also got a victory over Nick Fiore by decision.
After his victory against Jordan Leavitt back in November Chase Hooper stated he wanted a quick turnaround. While he hasn’t been able to get the quick turnaround he has been able to get a matchup he is happy about. Hooper was able to say this when he said;
“We had been in contact with the matchmakers since December asking to get booked and to get a fight. I don’t know if they had their ideas for wanting this fight to begin with and just playing this out or what. But, I’m happy with the matchup and getting back to work. I was hoping for three fights this year, but the way they are booking me it doesn’t quite look like it,”
Featured image credits to Embed from Getty Images
