Chase Hooper Focused on Refining His Successful Grappling Style

At just 26 years old, Chase Hooper has already spent nearly seven years competing inside the UFC octagon. Once viewed as one of the promotion’s youngest prospects, the lightweight now finds himself in a different stage of his career as he prepares to face Mitch Ramirez this Saturday in Oklahoma City.

For Hooper, the perspective has changed, even if the motivation has not.

“I think I’m moving into middle-aged in MMA years,” Hooper said. “I’m not 30, so not quite halfway to retirement, but we’re working our way there. I still feel like I have a lot more fights left in me. It’s crazy to look back and see how far we’ve come, but I just take it fight by fight.”

Every appearance inside the Octagon has brought new lessons. After evaluating his recent performances, Hooper realized some of his biggest improvements needed to happen before fight night.

That realization led him to fully embrace the resources available at the UFC Performance Institute, something he wishes he had done years ago. Instead of relying on difficult weight cuts, Hooper began working closely with the institute’s dietitians to manage his nutrition while also adding strength-and-conditioning programs, recovery work, and performance testing following his fights.

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“I’m just taking full advantage of what the UFC offers,” Hooper said. “That’s been my biggest change. It feels normal. It feels cool, and I’m glad I stuck around this long.”

The changes extended beyond nutrition and conditioning. He has also reshaped his approach to his game inside the cage.

With eight of his 16 wins ending by submission, Hooper knows he has the skills to end things on the ground, but the Washington native believes he has drifted too far from the style that made him successful.

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“I’m obviously a jiu-jitsu guy,” he said. “Why would I be going out there trying to work too much of the striking?”

Training alongside veteran and recently retired welterweight Michael Chiesa reinforced that philosophy.

“It’s kind of just reorienting myself,” Hooper said. “Understanding I’m a grappler first and foremost. Obviously, striking is still part of the sport, but keep the focus where I’m the best.”

That mindset will be tested against Ramirez, whose record may not tell the full story.

Although Ramirez has yet to earn a UFC victory, all three of his career losses have come against elite competition. The first defeat of his career came by TKO against Carlos Prates on Dana White’s Contender Series, and then he dropped his first two UFC appearances by TKO, something Hooper is aware of.

“On paper, you’re like, ‘Oh, he hasn’t won in the UFC yet,’ but those were all tough matchups,” Hooper said. “Carlos Prates, Mike Davis, he has faced some really tough competition.”

Hooper knows better than to overlook anyone wearing UFC gloves.

“Everybody here is good,” he said. “Every fight you get in the UFC is not going to be an easy one.”

His focus instead remains on showing the growth he believes has taken place over the course of his training camp.

“I want to show people I’m still here, I’m still in the mix,” Hooper said. “I fully committed to this camp more than ever before and made adjustments and made changes.”

“I hope people can see the work we put in this camp,” Hooper said. “See that I’ve made those adjustments and those improvements.”

For a fighter who has grown up inside the UFC, Saturday is less about proving he belongs and more about proving that his evolution is far from complete.

Don't miss a moment of UFC Fight Night: Du Plessis vs Usman, live from Paycom Center in Oklahoma City on July 18, 2026. Prelims start at 5pm ET/2pm PT, followed by the main card at 8pm ET/5pm PT. Watch the entire event live on Paramount+.