Chase Hooper says UFC Oklahoma City loss meant getting a job

Chase Hooper fought to save his UFC career at Oklahoma City last weekend, and he knew exactly what was at stake.

The lightweight submitted Mitch Ramirez in under three minutes at Paycom Center, snapping a two-fight skid that had him contemplating life outside the cage. Hooper entered the bout off knockout losses to Alexander Hernandez and Lance Gibson Jr., the first back-to-back defeats of his pro run. One more would have pushed him out.

Hooper drew a line at three losses

"I told my wife, 'I'm not losing three in a row. If I lose three fights in a row, I don't deserve to be here. I need to figure something else out,'" Hooper told UFC.com after the finish, per MMA Mania. "It was very much a make-or-break moment for me." Hooper added that a loss would have meant getting a job and returning to normal life. Instead, he trusted the grappling base that brought him to the promotion in the first place.

Hooper spent this camp in Spokane with retired UFC veteran Michael Chiesa, mining the former title challenger's playbook for submissions. Chiesa built his entire career on mat returns and chokes, and Hooper followed the same blueprint against Ramirez. The finish validated the approach. It had been over a year since Hooper last won, a decision over Jim Miller in April 2025.

Hooper plans to fight once more before year's end. He has a second child on the way, and as he put it, babies are expensive. The Oklahoma City win bought him time to chase both.

Reported via:

• MMA Mania — Chase Hooper admits he would’ve ‘gotten a job’ with UFC Oklahoma City loss – ‘It was make-or-break’