“You Can’t Get Your A** Destroyed for Three Rounds and Pull Off a Slick Submission” – Dana White Critical of Chase Hooper’s Win at UFC 256

Chase Hooper is the youngest fighter on the UFC’s roster right now. The young gun has impressed the fight world with his incredible submission skills. However, the featherweight contender still has a lot to learn to compete in the top-tier organization, i.e. the UFC.

Needless to say, Chase Hooper knows how to win. But, he might not just be ready to compete inside the UFC Octagon if we look at his last performance at UFC 256.

UFC President Dana White expressed his thoughts on the American fighter and looked critical of his recent performance against Peter Barrett this past weekend.

“That kid has an incredible ground game. He needs to tighten up the wrestling game. You can’t come here and continue to take that kind of punishment and have any longevity in your career. We will see how he progresses. Listen, the kid is winning, but you can’t get your a** destroyed for three rounds and pull off a slick submission at the end of the third round. It’s gonna catch up with you,” said White.

‘The Teenage Dream’ picked up a slick submission in the third round after being dominated for the better part of the entire fight. While he did come out victorious after everything was said and done, he absorbed damage that could have been avoided had he been as proficient on his feet as he is on the ground.

Chase Hooper needs to improve a lot on his feet

While it’s a given that Hooper likes to take the fight to the ground, he still has a lot to learn to ensure he takes less damage so early in his career. He is just 21 years old and has a bright career ahead of him. However, in order to do, he will need to get better on his feet and improve his striking.

After a devastating unanimous decision loss to Alex Caceres back at UFC 250, Hooper is back in the winning column. However, the road ahead is only going to get tougher and one would hope Hooper makes necessary improvements as he goes forward in his UFC career.