Chase Hooper vs. Alexander Hernandez prediction, odds, pick for UFC 319

UFC 319: Du Plessis vs. Chimaev Prelims are heating up, and we’re bringing you one other betting prediction and pick for this next bout within the Lightweight (155) Division on Saturday.

Washington’s Chase Hooper will tackle Texas’ Alexander Hernandez in a can’t-miss battle for potential rankings. Take a look at the UFC odds for our Hooper-Hernandez prediction and pick.

Chase Hooper (16-3-1) has gone 8-3 since his UFC debut in 2019. His last loss got here to Steve Garcia back in 2022, and he’s since won five consecutive fights heading into this bout. With three of those wins coming by submission, he’ll hope to maintain this streak going with one other. Hooper stands 6-foot-1 with a 74-inch reach.

Alexander Hernandez (16-8) has gone 8-7 contained in the UFC since 2018. After a rough 1-4 slide in five fights, Hernandez comes into this bout off back-to-back wins over Austin Hubbard and Kurt Holobaugh. He’ll hope to construct his first winning streak since 2018. Hernandez stands 5-foot-9 with a 72-inch reach.

Listed below are the UFC 319 Odds, courtesy of DraftKings. 

UFC 319 odds: Chase Hooper-Alexander Hernandez odds

Chase Hooper: -340

Alexander Hernandez: +270

Over 2.5 rounds: -125

Under 2.5 rounds: -105

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Why Chase Hooper will win

• Last Fight: (W) Jim Miller – U DEC
• Last 5: 5-0
• Finishes: 4 KO/TKO, 8 SUB

Since his last loss in 2022, Chase Hooper has been on an entire tear through the division and can likely see a rating next to his name if he’s in a position to take Hernandez out.

Since arriving to the UFC at just 19 years old, Hooper has since grown into his body and at last presents a robust, physical matchup against his opponents. This, coupled along with his world-class grappling, is already becoming an issue for the remainder of the division.

Hooper’s long limbs allow him to seek out unlikely chokes and locks, nevertheless it’s his flexibility and dexterity that allow him to bend at peculiar angles, keeping his opponents defending his attempts. He’s also very energetic with ankle locks and heel hooks, so do not be surprised if he looks to roll for the leg throughout this one.

Hooper comes into this fight because the rightful favorite due to this current winning streak he’s on. Nevertheless, it is also value noting that Hooper has greatly improved his striking and really averages 4.53 significant strikes per minute to his opponent’s 4.38. He’s also hitting the mark 51% of the time to the 40% of Hernandez, so expect Hooper to be dealing damage throughout this fight.

Why Alexander Hernandez will win

• Last Fight: (W) Kurt Holobaugh – U DEC
• Last 5: 3-2
• Finishes: 6 KO/TKO, 2 SUB

Alexander Hernandez has bounced back well during the last two bouts, turning in a full effort over his last six rounds within the octagon. Hernandez could be very dominant when he’s in a position to land takedowns and feel confident in his physicality.

He’ll have a big strength advantage over Chase Hooper, so it’ll be interesting to see how willingly he ties up along with his opponent given Hooper’s creativity within the grappling.

Hernandez has also been improving on the feet and comes into this fight with a slight power advantage as well. He’s been known to flat-line opponents when landing cleanly, and even the youthful Hooper won’t be impervious to his power. Search for Hernandez to throw a ton of feints as he tries to bait Hooper into dipping or shooting for a takedown.

Ultimately, Hernandez can have to approach this fight very patiently and never allow Hooper to catch him off-guard with any submission attempts. He’ll likely attempt to slam Hooper if he tries anything from his closed guard, but we could also see Hernandez avoid the bottom all together and check out to win this fight on the feet.

Final Chase Hooper-Alexander Hernandez prediction & pick

This ought to be a fun matchup as each fighters put their current winning streaks on the road. Chase Hooper has been dominant for the last three years, and we’re seeing him evolve increasingly more every time he steps into motion. Alexander Hernandez will probably be trying to prove his value as he feels he belongs back within the rankings.

Hernandez can see success on this fight if he’s in a position to remain patient and permit Chase Hooper to make his own mistakes. Nevertheless, given how sharp he’s looked over the previous couple of bouts, I expect Hooper to game plan well for this specific opponent as he has every advantage on the bottom.

For our final prediction, we now have to roll with Chase Hooper to get the win here. I expect Alexander Hernandez to be only a bit too aggressive as he gets caught in one among Hooper’s submission attempts for an early stoppage.

Final Chase Hooper-Alexander Hernandez Prediction & Pick: Chase Hooper (-340); UNDER 2.5 Rounds (-105)