Viacheslav Borshchev vs Chase Hooper Prediction: Bad Night for Slava Claus

The UFC is holding an event in the US on May 12th. The main event is between Luis and Nascimento. The preliminary card will see Chase Hooper from the US take on Borshchev. The fight is in the lightweight category. 

Viacheslav Borshchev is a top Russian kickboxer and former world champion who moved to MMA in 2019 and joined the UFC in 2022. He's great on his feet, which caught Dana White's eye, but he's still working on his wrestling. Viacheslav made a strong UFC debut, knocking out his opponent in the first round. However, his wrestling problems became apparent, as Borschev lost two fights in a row. He then had a TKO victory and an intense battle with Nazim Sadykhov.

Borschev was relentless, landing powerful low kicks, punches to the body, and a series of punches to the head with his hands. But the Azerbaijani somehow managed to stay on his feet. The pivotal moment came in the second round. The Russian got carried away, and Sadikhov hit hard, followed by a high kick. It seemed like Borschev wouldn't make it. But he still managed to get up. If we add to this a face drenched in blood from one of the elbows, we can say that the bout was a success. Ultimately, the judges saw a draw, and everyone was satisfied.

Chase Hooper, a UFC fighter, may not be a potential champion, but his skills and dedication are worthy of respect. He's a versatile fighter with no obvious weak spots (although he has a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu) and without brilliant skills. He's already fought in the strongest league eight times, with alternating wins and losses. Now Hooper rides a two-victory streak. Chase choked out Jordan Leavitt in the first round in his last fight, a testament to his hard work. 

Despite being younger, Hooper is much more experienced and has been in a lot of trouble. Viacheslav's tactics are pretty straightforward—he's all about knockout at any cost. He's definitely upped the wrestling game, but it's still limited to just defending against takedowns. When the fight goes to the floor, Borshchev is pretty helpless. And there's one more thing that we think is in Hooper's favor. He was knocked out by Steve Garcia, another striking powerhouse, not so long ago. Surely, he's learned his lesson. A smart fighter won't make the same mistake twice. Of course, Borschev always has a chance for a knockout, but in this particular case, we wouldn't count on it.