LAS VEGAS – Trey Ogden see Chase Hooper like easy money.
Ogden (18-6-1 MMA, 5-3 UFC) earned his second consecutive victory by defeating Loik Radzhabov (18-6-1 MMA, 2-2 UFC) via unanimous decision in a lightweight bout on Saturday at the UFC Apex.
Ogden thinks he’s been facing tough opposition lately and actually sees Hooper (14-3-1 MMA, 6-3 UFC) as a step back in the competition.
“I want to fight Chase Hooper,” Ogden told MMA Junkie and other reporters in a post-fight press conference on Saturday. “I keep calling this guy. I’ve been calling him out for three fights. I think he’s overrated, I don’t think he’s that good, and I want to pick some of that low-hanging fruit. …I will crush you easily. He’s not a scary guy for a change.”
With seven submission finishes to his name, Hooper has participated in countless grappling competitions, some of which have aired on UFC Fight Pass. Ogden is confident he would overpower Hooper on the ground and thinks he should be the one to enter major grappling tournaments.
“I’m a grappler three times better than him, at least,” Ogden said. “And I mean it. I could knock him off his feet. I could destroy him in grappling, and I think that after this fight, maybe my grappling will start to gain a lot of respect. After the fight with Holobaugh and after that fight.
“I think a fight against a guy like Chase Hooper, where his grappling is very respected, and then you can see how easily I could get over him in grappling. I think it would be a huge struggle for me to show that to the world and the fan base. It’s not personal. I think he has more fans than me and I think he sucks. So I think it’s an easy fight. I’m probably the best grappler in the category. I should be at the Fight Pass Invitationals. I can fight at a professional level.”
For more information on the card, visit the MMA Junkie events hub to UFC on ESPN 60.
