At only 23 years of age, Chase Hooper has already had six UFC bouts with a 50/50 record going into this weekend. An unassuming fighter with a babyface makes his UFC 155lbs debut this weekend at the Apex.
Early Career
Hooper began his mixed martial arts journey in his home town of Enumclaw, Washington, when he started training and competing whilst still in high school. He built up a resume of 5-0. Four of these wins were consecutive submission victories. Just three weeks after his 18th birthday, he made his professional debut in Snoqualmie Casino and was victorious with a second-round rear naked choke. This began his run of 8 fights undefeated, with six of his seven victories coming inside the distance. This 7-0-1 record earned him a spot on UFC 245 in Las Vegas in December 2019.
UFC Career
Swedish featherweight Daniel Teymur was the opponent for Hooper’s debut and was stopped towards the end of the very first round. Six months later, Chase Hooper faced a seasoned pro in Alex Caceres. He suffered his first career loss via a unanimous decision. However, this was nothing to be ashamed of as he was only 20 years of age when he stepped into the cage against the then 27-fight veteran. Later in the year, Hooper got back in the win column with a brilliant heel hook against Peter Barrett but then lost another decision midway through 2021 to Steven Peterson. Once more, the youngster bounced back with a win over Felipe Colares and earned himself his first UFC bonus, but the form did not continue as he suffered his first KO loss to Steve Garcia to continue his rocky path in the elite organisation.
Chase Hooper at 155LBS
Now this weekend, ‘The Dream’ makes his debut in his new UFC weight class in an attempt to solidify some past rocky form in the division below. His opponent is Nick Fiore, who has already competed this year in his UFC debut. He took on Mateusz Rebecki and lost a unanimous decision. All six of Fiore’s wins have been finished with four submissions and two KOs. Like Hooper, he is young and hungry, looking to make a name in the lightweight division. Claiming a well-known scalp like Hooper would be a great first UFC win. At 6ft 1 with nearly a 75″ reach Chase Hooper will have the size advantage over Fiore, but the longer limbs are easier to catch in submissions which is something Hooper must be wary of. Additionally, Hooper will take confidence knowing he has been undefeated at lightweight from his early career.
Featured image credits to Embed from Getty Images
