UFC St. Louis: Viacheslav Borshchev vs. Chase Hooper Prediction, Pick and Odds

Looking to improve to 3-0 as a lightweight, Chase Hooper will take on Viacheslav Borshchev at UFC St. Louis.

Borshchev (7-3-1, 2-2-1 in UFC) has been inconsistent to this point in the UFC, impressing with highlight-reel knockouts over Maheshate and Dakota Bush but losing lopsided decisions to Marc Diakiese and Mike Davis. Borshchev last competed at UFC 295, putting on one of the best fights of 2023 with Nazim Sadykhov in a war that ended in a draw.

Hooper (13-3-1, 5-3 in UFC) has also been shaky in the UFC. After starting off his career undefeated, Hooper has gone just 4-3 since, with just one win over a fighter currently on the UFC roster. However, Hooper has seen more success since moving up to lightweight with wins over Nick Fiore and Jordan Leavitt.

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Viacheslav Borshchev vs. Chase Hooper odds and round total

Viacheslav Borshchev vs. Chase Hooper best bet

Raul Rosas Jr. is what the UFC hoped Hooper would have become and while that plan did not work out for the company, he is still just 24 years old and someone they can potentially build up. However, this is a nightmare matchup for him as Borshchev is not the fighter he should be receiving at this stage of his career.

Hooper is a talented grappler but few fighters avoid striking in the UFC as much as he does. In his nine fights in the Octagon, Hooper has been knocked down four times while owning a paltry 39 percent striking defense.

Borshchev, a former kickboxing world champion, will be far and away the best striker he has ever faced in his career. In six UFC fights, Borshchev has recorded five knockdowns while winning all but one of his fights by knockout.

The path to victory is clear for Hooper, as in Borshchev's two UFC losses he has given up a combined 20 takedowns. However, in his most recent fight with Nazim Sadykhov, Borshchev showed improved grappling awareness and defense, allowing just 3:32 of control time on four takedowns.

Hooper has the cardio and BJJ credentials to control Borshchev but has never landed more than four takedowns in a single fight.

The proven blueprint to beat Borshchev has been chain wrestling takedowns but Hooper has landed just 22 percent of his attempts thus far. Hooper also largely relies on his submission skills to win fights but to this point, Borshchev has never been submitted while proving his ability to escape from highly compromised positions.

There is a chance that Hooper can sit on Borshchev for 15 minutes and out-work the Russian in the same way that Mike Davis and Marc Diakiese did but he will have to be perfect for the entire fight. Borshchev is one of the cleanest and most precise strikers in the UFC and with every round beginning on the feet, I do not like Hooper's chances to avoid getting caught, particularly with his lack of durability.

Prediction: Borshchev by KO/TKO in round two

Best bet: Viacheslav Borshchev by KO/TKO (+110)

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.