5 Things You Might Not Know About Chase Hooper

No one yet knows what to make of Chase Hooper.

The 22-year-old featherweight prospect will lock horns with Felipe Dias Colares as part of the UFC Fight Night 206 undercard this Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Hooper has rattled off four wins across his past six appearances. He has compiled a 2-2 record since he joined the Ultimate Fighting Championship roster as a high-upside talent two-plus years ago.

As Hooper puts the final pieces of his preparation for Colares in place, here are five things you might not know about him:

1. He rose from the fertile athletic soil of the Pacific Northwest.

Hooper was born on Sept. 13, 1999 in Enumclaw, Washington—a city of roughly 13,000 people situated in the northwest quadrant of The Evergreen State. It rests in the shadows of Mount Rainier some 60 miles to the southeast. Hooper graduated from the same high school as NASCAR driver Kasey Kahne and NBA veteran Brian Scalabrine.

2. His youth was spent on the job site.

“The Dream” made his professional mixed martial arts debut when he submitted Edson Penado with a rear-naked choke in the first round of their Combat Games 59 encounter on Oct. 7, 2017, just 24 days after his 18th birthday. Hooper went on to fight nine times as a teenager, compiling an 8-0-1 record in those bouts.

3. He embraces the gentile art.

Hooper was awarded his Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt in March 2021. He has put those skills to optimum use in MMA, where he has delivered five of his 10 professional victories by submission: three by rear-naked choke, one by triangle choke and one by heel hook.

4. Trophies already adorn his mantle.

The Combat Sport & Fitness representative has captured titles in the Dominate Fighting Championship and Combat Games organizations. Hooper laid claim to the DFC featherweight crown with a five-round unanimous decision over Drew Brokenshire on Feb. 24, 2018 and brought home the COGA lightweight belt with a rear-naked choke submission of Brett Malone at COGA 61 on April 21, 2018.

5. Durability has never been a concern.

Hooper has never been finished as an amateur or professional. The only blemishes on his resume consist of a split draw with Lashawn Alcocks under the Cage Fury Fighting Championships banner on Dec. 14, 2018, a unanimous decision loss to Alex Caceres at UFC 250 on June 6, 2020 and a unanimous decision defeat to Steven Peterson at UFC 263 on June 12, 2021.