Chase Hooper showed that he is more than a guy who only finishes on Saturday, when he scored the first in his career by knocking down Viacheslav Borshchev on the way to victory in UFC on ESPN 56.
Viewed by most as having a significant striking disadvantage, Hooper (14-3-1 MMA, 6-3 UFC) came out and knocked out Borshchev (7-4-1 MMA, 2-3-1 UFC) with an early punch. the lightweight fight at the Enterprise Center in St. Louis. “The Dream” attacked his opponent and spent several minutes landing ground-and-pound and threatening submissions.
Borshchev showed incredible resilience in surviving the round, but died in the second. Hooper continued to beat him on the mat until he locked in a D’Arce choke at 3:00 of the second round. Borshchev claimed he did not tap, but the replay shows he did and Hooper was announced the winner.
Check out the replay of the knockdown and the final sequence below (via X):
Now 3-0 since moving up to 155 pounds at featherweight in May 2023, Hooper said he is looking up the division and sees Paddy Pimblett as an interesting challenge.
“I’ve been working hard to show that I belong here,” Hooper said in a post-fight interview with Michael Bisping. “Honestly, I think I’m moving up to lightweight. There is a certain British man (Paddy Pimblett) who is 155 years old. I didn’t like his performance against a legend (in Tony Ferguson).
Updated UFC on ESPN 56 results include:
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Chase Hooper defeated. Viacheslav Borshchev via submission (D’Arce choke) – 2nd round, 3:00
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Esteban Ribovics defeated. Terrance McKinney via KO (head kick) – Round 1, 0:37
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Tabatha Ricci defeated. Tecia Pennington via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
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Trey Waters defeated. Billy Goff by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
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Charles Johnson defeated. Jake Hadley by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
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Veronica Hardy defeated. JJ Aldrich by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
For more information on the card, visit the MMA Junkie events hub to UFC on ESPN 56.
