Young featherweight prospect Chase Hooper will return to the octagon later this year.
Hooper (9-1-1) will be back in action against Peter Barrett (11-4) at UFC 256 in December. The fight finds “The Teenage Dream” (or more accurately just “The Dream” now that he’s 21) looking to rebound from the first loss of his professional career.
MMA Fighting was first to report news of the booking. The UFC has yet to officially announce the match-up.
First capturing attention on the Contender Series in 2018, Hooper worked his way into the UFC on a developmental deal. He would eventually make his octagon debut in December 2019, defeating Daniel Teymur at UFC 245. His sophomore outing, however, did not go his way. Hooper wound up losing a rather lopsided unanimous decision to Alex Caceres at UFC 250 back in May.
Barrett, himself a product of the Contender Series, debuted in the octagon back in August. “Slippery Pete” lost a decision to Youssef Zalal in that bout, snapping a two-fight win streak.
UFC 256 is set to take place on December 12 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada. Amanda Nunes will defend her featherweight title against Megan Anderson in the main event. Also featured is a bantamweight title fight between Petr Yan and Aljamain Sterling.
