Chase
Hooper doesn’t like the matchup between Ilia
Topuria and Justin
Gaethje.
Interim lightweight champion Gaethje will challenge the undisputed
champion Topuria in a title unification bout at
UFC White House on June 14. Hooper ideally wants Gaethje to win
the undisputed title and put a fairytale ending to his glorious
career. However, considering the run that Topuria has been on,
Hooper doesn’t see that happening. Hooper notes that “El Matador”
has made a habit of putting legends like Alexander
Volkanovski, Max
Holloway and Charles
Oliveira to sleep. Hooper claims he was depressed when Topuria
fought Oliveira and immediately turned off the television after the
knockout. “The Dream” would have rather preferred a matchup between
Topuria and Islam
Makhachev, which was allegedly the original plan for the White
House. However, Hooper is now prepared to be depressed, just like
he was in the matchup between Topuria and Oliveira.
“I love Justin and I want him to win. I want him to get that belt,
that fairytale ending for his career,” Hooper told Home of Fight. “But God dang, Ilia has just
been murdering all the legends of the sport. And I’m very depressed
by this matchup happening. Who would have thought? – To take out
Volk, to take out Max, to take out Charles. I would have much
rather seen Ilia and Islam. That way I could at least be happy with
him beating a Dagestani guy finally. But no, I think I will be
depressed, just like I was when I saw him fight Charles. We
immediately turned the fight off. And then everybody was sitting in
silence for a while. I think this will be kind of that same
thing.”
Topuria (17-0) knocked out Volkanovski to win the featherweight
title and defended it by handing Holloway his lone knockout loss.
The undefeated Georgian-Spaniard then moved up and knocked out
Oliveira to win the lightweight title. Meanwhile, Gaethje (27-5) is
4-1 in his last five and coming off a decision win over Paddy
Pimblett.