Chase Hooper recalls 'murderous' weight cut regime at 145lbs after lightweight debut
Chase Hooper moved back up to lightweight for his fight against Nick Fiore at UFC Fight Night: Dern vs. Hill.
Hooper has competed at featherweight since his appearance on Dana White's Contender Series in 2018 where he fought Canaan Kawaihae. His debut UFC win against Daniel Teymur and the subsequent mixed bag of results in the next five fights were all at featherweight.
Hooper has transitioned from a teenager to an adult in the same time period and his growing body weight and physical transformation has not been able to sustain his fighting weight of 145 pounds. However, his return to lightweight paid off as he put in a dominant performance to win against Nick Fiore via unanimous decision.
In the post-fight press conference, Hooper detailed the struggles he underwent for his weight cuts. He mentioned having to heavily restrict his intake and said:
“I was probably walking around at like 185, which, I mean I was still making it but the issue is my body would stop with the diet. My body would stop losing weight at about 170, [or] 175. So I had to switch the last couple weeks in my fight camps to protein shakes only. And then I would have little packets of honey before training. So I was murdering myself trying to get down to 145. And I had to be vegetarian that whole time too. I was really restricting myself in and out of fight camp, just trying to fight puberty and stay at 145 and feel great at 155 now, so…”
Check out his full comments in the press conference on Twitter:
Chase Hooper reveals he was walking around 185 lbs when he was fighting at featherweight, and was only consuming onions and protein drinks to make weight
#UFCVegas73 https://t.co/elaz25IZut
UFC weight cut: Chase Hooper's move up to lightweight earns him dominant win and praise from UFC champion and fighters
Chase Hooper put in a near-perfect performance against Nick Fiore and proved his move up to lightweight was a successful one. He was lauded by fellow fighters on the UFC roster.
Bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling singled out the high-quality grappling in the bout and wrote:
"Crazy ass grappling pace! One thing I always respect is the grind from grappling heavy scraps. It’s exhausting!"
Crazy ass grappling pace! One thing I always respect is the grind from grappling heavy scraps. It’s exhausting!
UFC lightweight Terrance McKinney was also impressed by Hooper's lightweight debut:
"Hooper just won his lightweight debut and almost had a 1st rd ko [fire emojis x3]"
Hooper just won his lightweight debut and almost had a 1st rd ko 🔥🔥🔥
Former UFC middleweight challenger Kelvin Gastelum also had high praise for 'The Dream.
"I liked this version Chase Hooper. Has come a long way."
I liked this version Chase Hooper. Has come a long way.
@KelvinGastelum Looked great. Boost the strength and KO power with time and exp. Hell be a top contender in year or so
Would be easy for a young fighter like Chase Hooper to lose confidence after some tough losses at 145 and the peanut gallery saying he doesn't belong in the UFC.
Instead, he moves up to 155 and puts on a career best performance.