Daniel Teymur was looking to make it two wins in a row inside the octagon when he welcomed Chase Hooper to the UFC Saturday night. The featured early prelim, Teymur vs. Hooper marked the first official UFC bout for Chase, who appeared on the Contender Series as a teenager in 2018. Now twenty, Hooper was looking to make a strong first impression on one of the biggest cards of the year, UFC 245.

He may have been barely out of his teens, but Hooper looked calm under fire Saturday. Immediately, he looked to take Daniel Teymur to the ground. But it was Teymur locking in with a nasty looking anaconda choke, seemingly trapping Hooper. Hooper, somehow, managed to survive. Moments later, he’d pull guard, and latch on to Teymur’s arm. While Teymur would pull free, there was a lesson there: Hooper was very comfortable on his back.

Not so much on the feet. A huge right hand connected for Teymur, and out of desperation Hooper closed the distance. Moments later he’d take his opponent’s back while still standing.

Scaling Teymur like a tree, Hooper was able to land punches before finally dragging Teymur down. Mounted from the back, hooks in, Hooper added more punches, with a full two minutes remaining in the round. The rear-naked choke was locked in in short order, and more than once it looked like Teymur might tap.

A fresh shade of purple blossomed across Teymur’s face, but somehow he pulled free. Hooper transitioned to the top, in mount, dropping elbows. Teymur turned, rolled, but wound up back in that same uncomfortable spot, with Chase Hooper dropping elbows. Soon enough, the ref called it off, and young chase Hooper had embarked on his UFC journey with a win.

Official Result: Chase Hooper def. Daniel Teymur by TKO, Round 1, 4:34

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UFC 245 will hit the T-Mobile Arena in  Las Vegas, Nevada on December 14. It’s arguably the biggest card of the year, boasting three huge title fights. The card is loaded with contenders and at the bottom of the card newcomer Chase Hooper will help open up the festivities. He will take on Daniel Teymur (7-3 MMA, 1-3 UFC).

6’1″
Featherweight
20-years-old
Enumclaw, Washington
Combat Sport & Fitness
8-0-1
1 KO/TKO
4 Submissions (3 Rear-naked Chokes, 1 Triangle)

How will Hooper fare in the UFC:

Chase Hooper comes into the UFC thanks to a development deal he earned following his win on the Contender Series in 2018. He has grown into a better fighter since then but still needs a lot of work.

Hooper is solely a grappler who on the feet doesn’t have much to show. He has good kicks but lacking power they are thrown just to maintain range. All his finishes are on the mat and the decision wins have come via his ground game. His wrestling isn’t where it should be which is a reason he pulls guard so much.

His length gives him an advantage on the mat taking better positions easily. In the grappling department Hooper is dangerous and that’s with not only his submission base but active ground and pound. On the feet when it comes to his striking defense he needs a lot of work. Still so young, he’s already taken a lot of damage getting put on skates many times. The twenty-year old has potential but not just anytime soon due to his age, and still being untested for the most part. Prediction: 2-2 to start in the UFC.

• Striking: D
• Kickboxing: C-
• Clinch: C+
• Wrestling: C
• Grappling: A-
• Striking Defense: D-
• Takedown Defense: C-
• Cardio: B
• Biggest Strength: Grappling
• Biggest Weakness: Striking defense

How Hooper matches up with Teymur:

Teymur is a wild man who is known for his power and kickboxing. Yet despite being a wild man who hits hard, he’s easy to read. He’s lost twice by submission and that is the recipe for Hooper in this fight. Hooper is huge compared to Teymur with a 6.5″ reach advantage and 8″ taller. Teymur could defend just about any takedown, but if Hooper closes the distance he could easily just tie him up. This is a difficult fight that Teymur could win but if Hooper fights correctly he should take this.

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The UFC returned to Europe on Saturday, this time for UFC Stockholm, taking place at Ericsson Globe in Stockholm, Sweden. The first fight of the main card saw Sweden’s own Daniel Teymur looking to both return home and secure his first UFC win. Standing across from Teymur in his UFC debut was Korea’s Sung Bin Jo, who before joining the UFC collected a 9-0 record.

With the action underway, Teymur came out quickly with a low kick followed by a hard left that hurt Jo. Daniel Teymur followed that up with a combination then shot for the take down. Jo escaped and the two engaged again; Teymur shot the take down again and Jo landed a hard knee followed by a head kick that just missed the mark. Teymur again shot in, this time for the double and secured the take down. Teymur worked from top and Jo scrambled to get to his feet. Teymur moved forward and fired off a series of hooks and uppercuts. Jo backed off and circled away as a frustrated Teymur looked like he wanted to keep throwing. The horn sounded to end the round.

Rallying punches early! #UFCStockholm pic.twitter.com/dOaGeo6KqG

— UFC (@ufc) June 1, 2019

Teymur opened the second with a leg kick and Jo fired back with high kick of his own. Teymur continued to moved forward and looked to engage. Teymur fired looping punches and Jo answered back with spinning heel kick that was ducked by Teymur. Jo threw a left hook that missed the mark and Teymur answered with a combination to the body, but with the distance closed Jo landed a solid knee. Teymur kept pressing the pace as he unloaded a pair of leg kicks then looked for the take down but Jo was ready and defended well. As the pace slowed Teymur showed some frustration in the lack of engagement. Jo answered with a flying knee that hit the mark but did little to damage or slow Teymur. The horn sounded shortly after to end the round.

Teymur took the center of the octagon in the third and opened with a hard leg kick as Jo circled away, then jumped in with a left hook that missed the target. Teymur looked again for the low kick and then Jo attempt press the fight as he shot the take down. That was stuffed only for Teymur to land his own, but the two were back to their feet almost instantly. Teymur continued by landing a hard right then shortly after landed another take down. This time he landed in Jo’s full guard and worked to improve his position. Jo spun and worked for a leg and with the space created got back to his feet. Teymur moved forward again and landed a cracking right that stunned and backed up Jo for a moment. Jo came back and looked to land his own shots, just missing another head kick. He landed a combination that finished with a straight left just as the round came to a close.

Daniel Teymur def. Sung Bin Jo by unanimous decision (30-27 30-27 29-28)

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Like it or not, weight-cutting is deeply rooted in mixed martial arts. MMA adopted its weight-cutting from the sport of wrestling, where it is presumed to be very advantageous to be the biggest and strongest in your weight class. Known as the ‘fight before the fight,’ most UFC fighters cut anywhere from 5-25 pounds, with some fighters even in excess of 30 pounds.

Weight-cutting is the ultimate test of discipline and willpower. Many fighters in the sport consider it very unprofessional to miss weight. In this series, we will shine a light on fighters who cut a massive amount of weight, who have missed weight multiple times in the past, who have made weight-class changes, along with how the weight-cut and weigh-in could affect possible upcoming match-ups. Basically, every aspect of weight-cutting and how it affects the fight game in the UFC.

Anthony “Lionheart” Smith (31-14 MMA, 7-3 UFC)

Anthony Smith is a perfect example of a fighter that has blossomed since eliminating his weight cut. Anthony Smith entered the UFC at middleweight and fought for the majority of his career at that weight until the lifestyle changes of trying to maintain a low body weight began to catch up with him. With his 6’4″ height and 76″ reach Lionheart had a huge frame for the middleweight division and was an easily adaptable fit into the light heavyweight division. After moving up to light heavyweight midway through 2018 following a loss to Thiago Santos, Smith went on a three-fight win streak. Smith finished Rashad Evans, Shogun Rua, and Volkan Oezdemir all before the end of 2018, lining him up with a UFC light heavyweight title shot. Although Smith wasn’t successful in defeating Jon Jones in his title shot earlier this year, he did go the full five rounds with the champ and had a very strong showing.

Daniel “Kid Dynamite” Teymur (6-3 MMA, 0-3 UFC)

Kicking off the main card is a featherweight bout with Daniel Teymur taking on UFC newcomer Sung Bin Jo. Teymur is 5’5″ and possesses a 69″ reach. For all of Kid Dynamite’s professional mixed martial arts career, he has fought at 155-pounds or at a catchweight of right around 150. In Teymur’s first fight in the UFC, he lost a unanimous decision to Danny Henry, but it was the Fight of the Night. After this fight, Teymur wouldn’t go the distance again losing to Julio Arce and Chris Fishgold both by rear-naked choke in the later rounds. And for both of these fights, Teymur moved down to the featherweight division. It is very important for Teymur to not only make weight, but to get back in the win column or face possibly being released by the UFC.

Frank “The Crank” Camacho (21-7 MMA, 1-3 UFC)

Frank Camacho has just four fights in the UFC and has lost three of those. And all three of these losses took place in the welterweight division save for one in the lightweight division. Camacho not only missed weight for his only win, but he did so weighing in at a whopping 160-pounds. This fight, against Damien Brown, was Frank’s second in the UFC and took place back in November of 2017. The Ultimate Fighter Season 16 participant is 5’10” and possesses a 73″ reach. Camacho’s last time out was against Geoff Neal, where he suffered a loss by head kick. With Camacho now trying his luck again back down at 155, it is imperative that he not only makes weight, but also is healthy enough to get the win as well. With a misstep in either, Camacho could very well be in danger of being released by the UFC, even after signing a new deal with the promotion.

Darko Stošić (13-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC)

Darko is a relative UFC newcomer. The 27-year-old has only one fight in the Octagon and also only has one fight at light heavyweight. Prior to joining the promotion, Darko had only fought in the heavyweight division. Darko’s lone loss was his only fight at 205-pounds, which came before joining the UFC. At 6’0″ tall and possessing a 76″ reach, Darko was undersized for the heavyweight division Stošić’s weight when he fought at heavyweight usually hovered right around 225-230 pounds. In Darko’s last time out, he stopped his opponent, Jeremy Kimball, with ground-and-pound in the very first round in July of last year. Because Darko is likely cutting 25-30 pounds, he is definitely a fighter to watch on the scale.

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Chris Fishgold is an English fighter who defended the Cage Warriors lightweight championship three times after winning gold in 2016. He dropped to featherweight for his UFC debut against Calvin Kattar, which he lost by first-round knockout in October. Fishgold is a submission specialist with a 17-2 record with 14 of those wins coming via tapout.

Daniel Teymur, the older brother of UFC lightweight David Teymur, will be looking for his first victory with the promotion at UFC Prague. The former Swedish Muay Thai champion started his MMA career at 6-0, earning him a shot at the biggest promotion in the world. Teymur was on the losing end of a Fight of the Night in his promotional debut, then was submitted by Julio Arce in his second appearance.

Fishgold shot for a takedown in the opening seconds, forcing Teymur against the cage and grabbing onto the Swede’s leg. Teymur then grabbed the fence egregiously, forcing referee Herb Dean to deduct a point. Once placed back into their position against the fence, Fishgold took control and took Teymur to the ground. The Liverpool native wasn’t able to do much damage on the ground, and Teymur was able to work the fight back to the feet.

Fishgold continued to shoot for takedowns and pressure Teymur consistently throughout round one. After a near-takedown, Fishgold had Teymur’s back, but again was unable to take advantage of the position. Teymur showed impressive strength, eventually getting some ground strikes from top position of his own on Fishgold. With less than 90 seconds left, the duo traded hard shots, with Fishgold getting the better of Teymur. Shortly thereafter, the fight was once again on the ground, with Fishgold on top after yet another takedown. Fishgold worked for an armbar that looked sunk-in, but Teymur managed to escape that as well, hearing the bell with Fishgold on his back.

Fishgold had Teymur on his back within the first 30 seconds of the second round, landing yet another takedown. After passing guard and eventually taking Teymur’s back, Fishgold flattened his opponent out and finished the fight with a clinical rear-naked choke.

Chris Fishgold earned his first career UFC win in impressive fashion at UFC Prague, submitting Daniel Teymur early in round two. It’s as great a performance the submission specialist could’ve hoped for, while the Swede will go back to the drawing board after his third consecutive loss.

Chris Fishgold def. Daniel Teymur by Submission (Rear-Naked Choke) in Round 2 (1:10)

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The UFC continues to build the card for it’s first ever trip to the Czech Republic. On Friday, the promotion announced on social media that Daniel Teymur would face Chris Fishgold at the event. UFC Prague (UFC Fight Night 145) takes place on February 23 at the O2 Arena in Prague, Czech Republic. The booking comes mere days after Daniel Teymur’s brother David was booked into a key fight at UFC Fortaleza next month, against Charles Oliveira.

🇸🇪 vs 🇬🇧

Daniel Teymur faces @ChrisFishgold at #UFCPrague on Feb 23! pic.twitter.com/AeNXbUDDxQ

— UFC Europe (@UFCEurope) January 11, 2019

Teymur (Daniel, that is) has struggled to find the same success as his brother in the UFC. Thus far, the lightweight turned featherweight has gone 0-2 in the promotion. With losses to Danny Henry and Julio Arce, Teymur’s back is against the wall heading into his bout with Fishgold. Overall, the Swede is 6-2 as a pro.

Chris Fishgold (17-2) made his UFC debut this past October at UFC Moncton in Canada. While the Brit came up short against Calvin Kattar, ending up finished in the first round, Fishgold still has plenty of upside, and is a former Cage Warriors champion who made three title defenses. The featherweight will look to get back to his winning ways in Prague, after having a seven fight win streak snapped by the Kattar loss.

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In a fight of two young 145ers who were each in their second UFC appearance, Daniel Teymur and Julio Arce faced off at UFC Utica. Arce was coming off a win in his first UFC appearance over Dan Ige, while Teymur was coming off a loss in his first fight in the promotion. Teymur was looking to bounce back against Arce. Adding to the intrigue, Daniel’s brother David had fought earlier in the night. There, he defeated Nik Lentz.

In a very competitive first round, both fighters looked to land numerous kicks. Arce targeted the body more, while Teymur targeted the legs — which were red by the end of the round. Arce looked for the left hand in the first round, but overall it was a very close frame as both fighters, while active, weren’t landing many power shot.

In the second round Arce was much more in control. He landed many head strikes, whereas Teymur tried to clinch. It seemed that Teymur was gassing out. In between the second round and third round Arce was bouncing up and down in his corner, while Teymur was taking every second he could to try and rest. It appeared the writing was on the wall.

TIGHT squeeze! Spectacular RNC submission win for @jarcetsmma at #UFCUtica! pic.twitter.com/SMYWghdcQo

— UFC Canada (@UFC_CA) June 2, 2018

Arce came out in the third and kept up the pace while Teymur tried to keep up with him, but one could tell that Teymur didn’t have much left. At one point, Teymur fell to the ground as he slipped off of a leg kick and as he tried to scramble back to his feet. Instead, he gave up his back, and Arce jumped on to lock up a rear-naked-choke. Teymur was not getting out.

Julio Arce def. Daniel Teymur by submission (Rear-naked choke), Round 3, 2:55

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