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Ogden dominated Radzhabov on the ground for three rounds to earn a unanimous decision victory at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Saturday night. Ogden subsequently called out Hooper, who “Shamurai” believes is overrated. According to the Marathon MMA head coach, Hooper is not a “scary” opponent.
“I want to fight Chase Hooper. I keep calling this dude out. I’ve been calling him out for three fights,” Ogden said during a post-fight media scrum. “I think he is overrated. I don’t think he’s that good. And I want to pick some of that low-hanging fruit… I’ll smash him easily. He’s not a scary dude, for a change.”
Hooper has scored seven of 14 career wins via submission so far in addition to making a name for himself by competing in UFC Fight Pass Invitational grappling tournaments. However, Ogden considers himself to be a better grappler than Hooper and wants to steal “The Dream’s” limelight.
“I’m three times a better grappler than him, minimum,” Ogden said. “And I mean that for real. I could knock him out on the feet. I could destroy him in the grappling. And I think after this fight, my grappling will start to get some serious respect — after the Holobaugh fight and then this fight. I think that a fight against a guy like Chase Hooper, where his grappling is really respected, and then you could watch how easily I could run through him in the grappling. I think that would be a great fight for me to show to the world and to the fanbase.
“It's not personal. I think he has more fans than me, and I think he sucks. So I think it’s an easy fight. I’m probably the best grappler in the division. I should be on Fight Pass Invitationals. I can grapple at a professional level.”
Ogden is currently on a two-fight winning streak and is 3-2-1 in the UFC overall. Meanwhile, Hooper is riding a three-fight winning streak and fresh off a submission win over Viacheslav Borshchev form this past March.
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