Chase Hooper delivered a dominant performance at UFC St. Louis, earning a second-round submission win over Viacheslav Borshchev, but the fight’s ending sparked controversy due to a questionable tap-out call by the referee.
Chase Hooper’s growth in the MMA world is undeniable. His performance at UFC St. Louis was arguably his best yet. But the fight’s conclusion left many in the MMA community puzzled.
Hooper secured a second-round submission win over Viacheslav Borshchev. The event took place at the Enterprise Center on Saturday. The 24-year-old dominated the first round, making a strong case for a rare 10-7 scorecard.
His onslaught continued into the second round. Borshchev was on the receiving end of a relentless ground and pound attack. Referee Keith Peterson gave Borshchev every opportunity to stay in the fight.
Hooper then applied a d’arce choke. It seemed like he secured a tap, but the replay raised doubts. It was, well, questionable at best.
The MMA community had mixed reactions. Some UFC fighters were thoroughly impressed by Hooper’s performance. Others, however, were not pleased with Peterson’s potential misstep. The controversy? Stopping the fight due to a tap that may or may not have happened. You can check out their reactions below.
Mike “Beast Boy” Davis tweeted, “Thats not a tap! What a disgusting stoppage.” Aljamain Sterling chimed in, “I don’t think he tapped but it wasn’t looking good. Just sucks to see it stopped early.”
Renato Moicano UFC had a more aggressive stance. “Calm foking down hooper or will have to beat your ass!!! paddy is in trouble already #UFCLouisville,” he tweeted. C H T O V E R A, on the other hand, praised Hooper, “Chase look good in 55.”
Moicano also tweeted, “Who saw that coming we have a new world kickboxing champion in hooper #UFCLouisville.” Cody Gibson added, “That was a beating but I don’t think he really tapped ♂️.”