Chase Hooper came into UFC 256 as a young but pretty successful BJJ brown belt. At just 21 years old, he’s already won the IBJJF Pan-Ams and was already ten fights deep into his professional MMA career, with only one loss so far. That loss was in his most recent fight against Alex Caceres earlier this year where he lost a decision after three difficult rounds against the clever veteran with almost a decade of UFC experience.
Hooper managed to get his career back on track in style against Peter Barrett though, locking up a beautiful heelhook finish in the third round. He wasn’t doing that great to begin with and Barrett was giving him plenty of trouble across the first two rounds, with most fans believing that he was going to finish the third and earn the decision victory. Hooper threw some caution to the wind when we got the fight to the ground and found the opportunity for a leg entanglement pretty early on in the round.
Once there, Hooper worked patiently to dig the heel of his opponent before he managed to lock up the submission and get the tap. Now he sits in an interesting position in the UFC Featherweight division and could either have earned a shot at a more recognizable name like Caceres, or may choose to take it a little slower this time round and spend the next few fights building back to that level. Elsewhere on the card, possibly the best BJJ competitor in the UFC Lightweight division, Charles Oliveira overcame his toughest test to date by beating Tony Ferguson and cementing his place at the top of the division.
Ladies and gentlemen, HE GOT HIM 👏@Chase_Hooper with a stunning comeback to open the night. #UFC256 pic.twitter.com/OxRnjpiPyA
— UFC (@ufc) December 13, 2020
UFC 256 Full Results
Deiveson Figueiredo (c) v Brandon Moreno ends in Majority Draw – 48-46, 47-47, 47-46
Charles Oliveira defeats Tony Ferguson via Unanimous Decision – 30-26, 30-26, 30-26
Mackenzie Dern defeats Virna Jandiroba via Unanimous Decision – 29-28, 29-28, 29-28
Kevin Holland defeats Jacare Souza via KO – Punches, Rd 1. 1:45
Ciryl Gane defeats Junior dos Santos via TKO – Punches, Rd 2. 2:34
Cub Swanson defeats Daniel Pineda via KO – Punches, Rd 2. 1:52
Rafael Fiziev defeats Renato Moicano via KO – Punches, Rd. 1, 4:05
Gavin Tucker defeats Billy Quarantillo via Unanimous Decision – 30-27, 30-27, 30-27
Tecia Torres defeats Sam Hughes via TKO – Doctor Stoppage, Rd 1. 5:00
Chase Hooper defeats Peter Barrett via submission – Heelhook, Rd. 3, 3:02
The UFC 256 replay will soon be available to watch on UFC FightPass, click here to subscribe and watch.