Is Chase Hooper the son of Ben Askren?

Born on September 13, 1999, in Enumclaw, Washington, U.S., Chase Hooper is an American MMA fighter competing in the UFC lightweight division (155 lbs). Hooper began his amateur MMA journey during his time at Enumclaw High School. Before transitioning to professional MMA, he compiled an undefeated 5-0 record with 4 stoppage wins in the Washington regional circuit.

On October 7, 2017, he made his professional debut against Edson Penado and secured a triumph in the first round through a rear-naked choke submission. Hooper's proficiency in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, where he holds the title of juvenile Pan-American champion as a blue belt, played a crucial role in his success as a fighter.

Hooper participated in Dana White's Contender Series 14, facing Canaan Kawaihae, and emerged victorious with a unanimous decision. This achievement earned him a development league contract. Hooper entered UFC by facing Daniel Teymur on December 14, 2019, at UFC 245. He claimed victory in his promotional debut, securing a first-round technical knockout.

Chase Hooper holds a record of 12 wins, 3 losses, and 1 draw (12-3-1) and is unranked in the UFC lightweight rankings.

Relation between Chase Hooper and Ben Askren

Although Chase Hooper and retired UFC fighter Ben Askren resemble each other, they are biologically unrelated and are not father and son. The notion of Askren being Hooper's father started at UFC 246 media day, where Chase Hooper, serving as the UFC Fight Pass correspondent, humorously interviewed fighters.

Hooper then interviewed Jorge Masvidal, where he jokingly asked why Masvidal defeated "his dad," Ben Askren. Masvidal was surprised, apologized, and expressed he didn't intend any disrespect, unaware of the prank being played on him.

Following the first prank, Hooper clarified to Masvidal that it was all in good fun, and the two shared a laugh about it. Subsequently, Ben Askren teamed up with Hooper to pull similar pranks on other figures in the MMA community, including journalist Ariel Helwani.

Chase Hooper UFC Career

Chase Hooper, after debuting with a first-round technical knockout victory against Daniel Teymur in December 2019 at UFC 245, faced setbacks with a unanimous decision loss to Alex Caceres in June 2020. However, he bounced back with a third-round heel hook submission win over Peter Barrett at UFC 256 in December 2020.

Despite a catchweight bout and fine in June 2021, Hooper lost to Steven Peterson via unanimous decision. In May 2022, he was awarded a Performance of the Night bonus with a third-round technical knockout against Felipe Colares. Hooper faced a defeat against Steve Garcia in October 2022 but rebounded with a unanimous decision win over Nick Fiore in May 2023.

His upcoming bout is set for November 18, 2023, against Jordan Leavitt at UFC Fight Night 232. So far, in his seven appearances inside the UFC octagon, Hooper has secured 4 victories and 3 defeats (4-3-0).

Last Updated On November 15, 2023