Preview: UFC Fight Night 206 Prelims

Featherweight

Felipe Dias Colares (10-3, 2-3 UFC) vs. Chase Hooper (10-2-1, 2-2 UFC)

ODDS: Colares (-165), Hooper (+145)

A pro for four and a half years, Hooper is still just 22 years old and definitely has something to work with: He has natural charisma, and he is a legitimately talented grappler when his fights go to the mat. Even so, that is a narrow path to victory, particularly with all of the other issues in his game at the moment. A tall and lanky featherweight, Hooper has put in some work to improve as a striker but is still completely hittable. Even his wins have seen him need to eat a ton of damage before staging a comeback, and the sense is that he has bounced back through the durability of youth that could betray him over time. It has been a weird UFC career through four fights. His victories show the impressive nature of his submission skills, but nearly every other moment of his fights raise some concern that Hooper is burning out his career at a time when he should be getting some more productive development. For now, Colares makes for an interesting foil, as the Brazilian moves back up to 145 pounds. “Cabocao” has an approach built entirely around engagement, pressuring his opponents and always trying to make something happen, whether it is sparking a brawl or looking to pursue a powerful wrestling game. Colares is able to make that happen through, frankly, an inhuman level of durability that has led to a lot of the same feelings as Hooper’s career thus far, even though the Brazilian is a much more finished product. The wins are impressively gritty, but the losses see Colares absorb a worrying amount of damage. Colares pursues his wrestling enough that Hooper should get some opportunities to work with, though it is unclear if the American can find the submission that he needs, particularly since he might have to do so early. Hooper definitely slows down later in fights, while Colares just seems to warm up even as he keeps taking abuse over time. This could get ugly for Hooper late, but the bet is that Colares is enough of a defensive sieve that Washington native can find both a takedown and a submission. Still, all of the red flags around Hooper’s game make this far from a confident bet. The pick is Hooper via first-round submission.

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