It was another night of great fights at the UFC Apex facility in Las Vegas, Nevada, for UFC 256, which was headlined by current flyweight champion, Deiveson Figueiredo, and the number one flyweight contender, Brandon Moreno. On the early preliminary card we witnessed one of the greatest comebacks this year, in the UFC’s featherweight division. Chase ‘the Dream’ Hooper, was able to pull off an unexpected submission victory late in the third round, over ‘Slippery Pete’ Peter Barrett.
Barrett’s striking game was steps ahead of Hooper the entire fight, as he was dominating Hooper during all the exchanges on the feet. Hooper stayed vigilant as well as composed, landing several shots of his own, but it wasn’t enough to get the needed respect from Barrett in the first two rounds. By the end of the second round Hooper’s leg was compromised from all the leg kicks that landed by Barrett, leaving him limping going into the third. Hooper was getting outclassed for the entire fight, however he never gave up or showed any signs of quitting. In-between rounds he appeared cool, calm and collective showing signs of a true warrior spirit, ready to continue in battle. As round three went underway, Hooper was able to get Barrett onto the ground by using his elite grappling skills in which he is well known for. With just two minutes left in the fight, Hooper was able to lock in a heel-hook, forcing Barrett to tap, earning him a submission victory. It appears Slippery Pete was not slippery enough, for the wizardry ground game of Chase the Dream. UFC commentators were shocked, after seeing Hooper take a beating for almost the entire fight, to then be able to pull off such a sweet submission. At only 21 years old, Chase Hooper proved to be an elite contender, showing why he belongs fighting amongst some of the greatest athletes in the world.
MMA Frequency 