Development deal over: Chase Hooper announces he’ll debut at UFC 245

When featherweight Chase Hooper competed on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2018, he didn’t yet have the skills the UFC president was looking for.

But in White’s eyes, the foundation was there. Hooper (8-0-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC) just needed more work, and became the second fighter in the series’ history to earn a UFC development deal.

Friday night, Hooper, a Washington native, posted on Instagram to that he’ll make his official UFC debut at UFC 245, which takes place Dec. 14 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

“This is probably the biggest announcement in my career thus far,” Hooper wrote. “I’ve spent so much of my life in the gym putting in the hours, and not straying from the course.

“… it looks like I’m on to the next step of my career; my next fight will be December 14th, in Las Vegas, on UFC 245(opponent TBA). Now it’s time to train harder than I ever have and show off my skills to the world.”

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This is probably the biggest announcement in my career thus far. I’ve spent so much of my life in the gym putting in the hours, and not straying from the course. For my entire time training, from my first day, to almost 11 years later, I’ve been with the same people(@combat_sportfitness ), and they taught me everything I know. All the hard work has paid off, and it looks like I’m on to the next step of my career; my next fight will be December 14th, in Las Vegas, on UFC 245(opponent TBA). Now it’s time to train harder than I ever have and show off my skills to the world… – #theteenagedream #elsueño #ufc245 #backtovegas @ctrlindustries @wexgunworks @one_jiujitsu

A post shared by Chase Hooper (@choop556) on Aug 30, 2019 at 7:44pm PDT

Then 18, Hooper beat Hawaii’s Canaan Kawaihae at DWCS 14 in July 2018, then returned to the regional scene. Over the past 13 months, Hooper competed for CFFC, Island Fights and Titan FC, all of which stream eventson UFC Fight Pass. Over that stretch, he went 2-0-1 with a submission and a ground-and-pound TKO stoppage.

In his most recent outing, Hooper beat former DWCS participant and former Titan FC champion Luis Gomez with a first-round rear-naked choke.