Chase Hooper showed he’s more than a submission-only guy Saturday when he scored a career first by knocking down Viacheslav Borshchev en route to victory at UFC on ESPN 56.
Viewed by most as having a significant striking disadvantage, Hooper (14-3-1 MMA, 6-3 UFC)came out and knocked Borshchev (7-4-1 MMA, 2-3-1 UFC) down early with a punch in the lightweight bout at Enterprise Center in St. Louis. “The Dream” pounced on his opponent and spent several minutes landing ground-and-pound as well as threatening with submissions.
Borshchev showed incredible resilience by surviving the round, but he mets his demise in the second. Hooper continued to maul him on the mat until locked in an D’Arce choke at the 3:00 mark of Round 2. Borshchev claimed he didn’t tap, but replay show he did and Hooper was announced the winner.
Check out the replay of the knockdown and final sequence below (via X):
We're not wasting anytime at #UFCStLouis 👊 pic.twitter.com/qNBCLM6mNK
— UFC (@ufc) May 11, 2024
CHASE HOOPER LOCKS UP THE SUBMISSION VICTORY 😤 #UFCSTLOUIS pic.twitter.com/DYK4PgiRmJ
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) May 11, 2024
Now 3-0 since moving up to 155 pounds from featherweight in May 2023, Hooper said he’s looking upward in the division, and sees Paddy Pimblett as an interesting challenge.
“I’ve been working hard to show I belong here,” Hooper said in his post-fight interview with Michael Bisping. “Honestly, I think I’m moving my way up the lightweight division. There’s a certain British fellow (Paddy Pimblett) at 155. I didn’t like his performance against a legend (in Tony Ferguson).
Up-to-the-minute UFC on ESPN 56 results include:
- Chase Hooper def. Viacheslav Borshchev via submission (D’Arce choke) – Round 2, 3:00
- Esteban Ribovics def. Terrance McKinney via knockout (head kick) – Round 1, 0:37
- Tabatha Ricci def. Tecia Pennington via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
- Trey Waters def. Billy Goff via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
- Charles Johnson def. Jake Hadley via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Veronica Hardy def. JJ Aldrich via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 56.
