Chase Hooper entered UFC 250 with a lot of buzz, but Alex Caceres didn’t let the hype get to him.
Caceres (16-12 MMA, 11-10 UFC) defeated Hooper (9-1-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC) by unanimous decision on Saturday night.
From the opening bell, Caceres exposed the difference in skill in the striking department. Throughout the fight, Caceres popped Hooper with clean jabs and straight punches. Hooper never was able to create consistent success. Apart from a few punches and semi-dominant grappling positions, Hooper was largely outmatched.
In the first round, Hooper was dropped as he walked straight into a Caceres counter-punch. In the second round, Caceres picked Hooper apart. Striking was Caceres’ key to success, and he neutralized Hooper’s grappling. In Round 3, Hooper struggled to muster up offense, even pulling guard at one point. When the scorecards were read, it was a clean sweep for Caceres, 30-27 across the board.
With the victory, Caceres hands Hooper his first loss. Caceres, who has been in the UFC since 2011, is on a winning streak for the first time since 2016.
The featherweight bout closed out the UFC 250 preliminary card at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. It aired on ESPN and streamed on ESPN+ ahead of the main card on pay-per-view.
Up-to-the-minute UFC 250 results include:
- Alex Caceres def. Chase Hooper via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Ian Heinisch def. Gerald Meerschaert via TKO (punches) — Round 1, 1:14
- Cody Stamann def. Brian Kelleher via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Maki Pitolo def. Charles Byrd via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 1:10
- Alex Perez def. Jussier Formiga via TKO (leg kicks) – Round 1, 4:06
- Devin Clark def. Alonzo Menifield via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
- Herbert Burns def. Evan Dunham via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 1:20
