Miami — Jim Miller has more UFC fights than Chase Hooper has years on planet Earth. Actually, as Miller himself pointed out at Wednesday’s UFC 314 media day, he has more wins in the UFC than Hooper has years on this planet.
The youth versus experience divide in the lightweight fight is practically a grand canyon-sized gap, but Hooper (15-3-1) is well aware that he can’t be too much in awe of Miller’s 45, soon to be 46 UFC fights.
“It’s one of those things, it kind of sucks about this sport, is you can’t have too much reverence for people and their careers, especially if they’re in the same weight class. You just don’t know who you’re going to fight and when,” observed Hooper, speaking with media outlets ahead of what will be his 11th UFC fight. “I obviously have a lot of respect for Jim, and I have a lot of respect for Clay [Guida] and all these veterans that I’ve fought. But at the end of the day it’s them or me. I hopefully will get another younger prospect on the up-and-come after this, another guy on a win streak. For now, we’ll take who we can get.”
Hooper came into the UFC young, very young, and he’s still just 25. After an appearance on the Contender Series in 2018, rather than being signed outright, he was inked the a developmental deal. Hooper, who was 6-0 after his DWCS fight, competed three times on the regional circuit under that deal before being called up to the UFC proper. It’s an option the UFC has used sparingly, in just a handful of cases.
“I think in certain cases it made a ton of sense,” stated Hooper on the developmental deal front, noting examples like Mackenzie Dern and Greg Hardy. “It’s an investment, and I see why they don’t do it as much.” Still, Hooper believes that there are certain fighters, like Dern or “definitely people on the younger end like I was,” who could benefit. Specifically fighters who are great in one area but need to round out their skillset.
“It’s a way to keep building somebody close by, like in the Fight Pass realm, without throwing them right into the deep end of the UFC,” Hooper said. “I would like to see more of those honestly.”
Watch Chase Hooper’s full UFC 314 media day appearance above.
