Chase Hooper vs. Viacheslav Borshchev, UFC St. Louis Weigh-in Credit: Youtube/UFC
In the featured prelims of UFC St. Louis, a battle of two opposing styles broke out between Chase Hooper and Viacheslav Borshchev.
Borshchev, better known as “Slava Kroos,” had a career in kickboxing before mixed martial arts and brought an exciting striking style to the cage. He has some flaws in his martial arts, but has improved recently. The same goes for Hooper’s hitting. Chase was once the youngest fighter in the UFC, but at the age of 24 he has grown in stature, moving up to lightweight and winning his last two bouts tonight. He continued that trend tonight in the most impressive fashion.
Chase Hooper tried to bat with Slava early on. Against all odds, he landed an overhand left that knocked Borshchev down. Hooper jumped on his back and initially went for a rear-naked choke, but got into mount when Vyacheslav made a turnover. A steady stream of hammerfists and elbows took a toll on Slava Kroos, but the referee didn’t look like he was going to stop the fight. He transitioned to the back and then to full mount again.
After a further onslaught, the referee almost stopped it, but Borshchev managed to survive. He escaped to half guard, but Chase Hopper stayed on top. As Slava tried to stand up, Hooper applied an impossible inverted triangle choke. Even though the choke became tighter and tighter, Vyacheslav somehow did not lose consciousness and his posture remained still.
After clearing the first round 10-8 or 10-7, Chase Hooper came out and knocked him down with an upside down cross to start the second round. He scrambled to full mount again and hit Slava Kroos with an elbow. Once again he transitioned fluidly between mount and back mount, raining down ground and pound. Slava Kroos barely survived every warning from the referee until Hooper transitioned into a dulce choke and the fight was finally over.
Slava Kroos said she never tapped, but with a goose egg protruding from her forehead, she could have been stopped at any time in the final minutes. Currently on a three-fight win streak and on the up and up, Chase Hooper is on his way to becoming a favorite in time for his soon-to-be-born child.
Official Results: Chase Hooper def. Viacheslav Borshchev, Submission (Dulce Choke), Round 2, 3:00
