Chase
Hooper doesn’t want to rush his climb to the upper echelon of
the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s lightweight roster.
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Hooper (12-3) made his promotional debut in 2019 as an undefeated
10-0-1 prospect and went on to score a first-round stoppage win
over Daniel
Teymur. While “The Dream” continues to show flashes of
brilliance, his career has since gone back and forth as he’s
encountered steeper competition.
Currently 4-3 in the UFC and coming off a decision win over
Nick
Fiore in May, Hooper is set to take on Jordan
Leavitt (11-2) at UFC
Fight Night 232 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Saturday.
Reflecting on his career so far, the 24-year-old from Enumclaw,
Washington, recently detailed his career strategy to stay in the
game for the long run.
“The Dream” believes a slow and steady approach is the way to
ensure a lengthy successful career.
“My second fight in the UFC was against a 20-fight vet in [Alex]
Caceres, and I felt like he was more savvy than me; he had a better
skill set than me. I think I had been a pro for two years at that
time versus a guy that has been in the UFC for a decade,” Hooper
said in an on UFC.com.
“At 155 [pounds], I’m in the same weight class as these vets like
Dustin
Poirier, Conor [McGregor], Tony
Ferguson — these guys that have 20, 30 fights; a crazy amount
of professional experience at the highest level. So, I’d like to
stick to guys that are like myself — still gonna make some
mistakes, still gonna rush in there a little — not like these vets
that are gonna fight like a vet would: win on points, play the game
because they know the sport so well. I like fighting people with as
much experience as I have because I think it makes for better
fights, better matchups.
“I’m trying to bide my time, move up the mountain a little slower,
and make sure I’m still here for another 15 fights in the UFC. It’s
all about taking my time. This is definitely a marathon if you want
to make a living off of it.”
The UFC Fight Night 232 card will be headlined by a middleweight
matchup between Brendan
Allen (22-5) and former light heavyweight competitor Paul Craig
(17-6).