MIAMI – Chase Hooper has no problem beating the UFC’s elder politicians, but it’s probably time to move on.
On his latest outing, Hooper (15-3-1 MMA, 7-3 UFC) will file Clay Guida and try to do the same to Jim Miller (38-18 MMA, 27-17 UFC) at UFC 314 at Kaseya Center (Pay-Per-View, ESPN, ESPN+) on Saturday.
Hooper says that despite some may think, he never became a “prospect murderer.”
“When I got into this fight, a lot of people were like, ‘Oh, you called Jim Miller,'” Hooper told MMA Junkie and other reporters at UFC 314 Media Day. “Someone suggested it and I was like, ‘Yeah, I wouldn’t mind that fight.’ It was a call out.
“At this point I’ve now fought a lot of veterans. Caceres was my second fight. Now it’s crazy to think about it. Yeah, I’m pretty happy with the matchup. I think it’s fun. I think he’s fun. Guy thinks more about offense than defense.”
Hooper evolved after a bumpy promotional start, as many people were considered to be almost comically young fighters who took on grown men within the UFC. Although it appears to be round the corner in early 2023, Hooper won three consecutive battles.
It’s fun to fight the most experienced aging fighter on the roster, and he hopes that winning Miller on Saturday will make him more consistent with the fighter on a similar trajectory to himself.
“That’s one of the terrible things about sports,” Hooper said. “You can’t really respect people in your career, especially if you’re in a class that’s the same weight. You don’t know who you’re going to fight or when you’re going to fight. You’re happy with the matchup.”
For more information about the card, see the MMA Junkie Event Hub at UFC 314.
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