Chase Hooper returns to the octagon on Saturday night at UFC Seattle looking to bounce back into the win column as he takes on Lance Gibson Jr.
Hooper (16-4-1) will get to fight at home for the first time under the UFC banner.
“Earlier in my career this would have been a huge shock, it would have been a lot more unnecessary pressure when I was already feeling so much pressure as it is, but now it’s kind of a welcome homecoming,” Hooper told reporters on Wednesday.
“I had a ton of fights at the APEX. I figured out the UFC process of like what a fight week is like, figured out how to deal with that pressure. I’m ready to put on a show at home.”
The matchup is intriguing for several reasons, one of which stands out: both Hooper and Gibson Jr. are known for their professionalism and respectful demeanor, so don’t expect much animosity as fight night approaches.
“There was a fight last week where a guy was like shoving a guy at the weigh-ins. What are you going to do, you’re going to fight me here and neither of us make money? It’s one of those things like we make money by entertaining the crowd, not the couple hundred people at the face-offs,” he said.
“I don’t really care anymore. I’ve been around so long. It’s just showmanship I guess for some of those guys. I’m here to put on a show on Saturday.”
Watch the entire media day scrum with Chase Hooper above. He faces Lance Gibson Jr. at UFC Seattle on Saturday night.
