UFC fighter fined after big weight miss ahead of Oklahoma City card

Jul 17, 2026 - 19:15

Chase Hooper has missed weight by quite some margin for his fight in Oklahoma City this weekend.

The 26-year-old from Washington tipped the scales at 157.5lbs on Friday for his featured main card bout at UFC Oklahoma City against fellow American Mitch Ramirez.

Chase Hooper kicks Lance Gibson Jr. in a lightweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at Climate Pledge Arena on March 28, 2026 in Seattle — Hooper has won five of his last seven UFC fights – but is hoping to reverse a two-fight skid in Oklahoma City on Saturday

Of course, it was far from ideal for Hooper, who had to weigh in at no more than 156lbs for the lightweight contest on Saturday to avoid further punishment.

Hooper’s team must have decided the extra pounds needed to make the lightweight limit weren’t going to come off, as he didn’t try to make weight with a second attempt.

How much did Hooper lose for missing weight?

This has led to Hooper forfeiting 20 per cent of his purse for the Fight Night card in Oklahoma City, which is headlined by former champions Dricus du Plessis and Kamaru Usman.

Hooper received a disclosed payout of $90,000 for his last fight — a brutal first-round knockout defeat by Lance Gibson Jr at UFC Seattle.

If he were making the same amount for his appearance at UFC Oklahoma City, Hooper would lose a whopping $18,000 for the weight miss.

Obviously, these figures don’t take into account money received from sponsorships or endorsements.

1.5lbs doesn’t seem like much, but Hooper has never missed weight in his career and has never seemed unusually big for his weight class.

He started his UFC run in the featherweight division, stopping Daniel Teymur, who left the promotion after the defeat, on his debut at UFC 245 in December 2019.

‘The Dream’ made his UFC debut aged just 20, having punched his ticket to MMA’s premier promotion through Dana White‘s Contender Series the year before.

He has since scored wins over veterans like Clay Guida and Miller but finds himself on a two-fight skid following back-to-back defeats to Alexander Hernandez and Gibson Jr.

Dricus Du Plessis of South Africa poses on the scale during the UFC Fight Night official weigh-ins on July 17, 2026 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma — Du Plessis made weight for his main event with Usman, which is his first appearance since losing the UFC middleweight title to Khamzat Chimaev

Kamaru Usman of Nigeria poses on the scale during the UFC Fight Night official weigh-ins on July 17, 2026 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma — As did ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ – another former champion on a path to reclaiming UFC gold

A graphic of Kamaru Usman and Dricus du Plessis — The winner of UFC Oklahoma City’s main event could find themselves fighting for a title next

Who else made weight for UFC Oklahoma City?

Every other athlete on the 12-fight card at UFC Oklahoma City, bar featherweight Ezra Elliott, successfully made weight on Friday.

Elliott came in at 1.5lbs over the 146lbs featherweight limit for his clash against Damien Anderson in the prelims.

While Hooper’s fight with Ramirez goes ahead as planned, it hasn’t been confirmed whether Elliott will still fight Anderson.

Elsewhere, du Plessis (185.5lbs) and Usman (186lbs) made their middleweight main event official by making weight with no issues.

The winner will put themselves in a great position to challenge for a UFC title next.

In the co-main event, Briton Christian Leroy Duncan (185.5lbs) faces Jared Cannonier (185lbs) to decide who will climb the rankings in the same division.

UFC Schedule

There are still several blockbuster shows and exciting contests for fight fans to look forward to in 2026, and you can find the full list of all confirmed events and official bouts as part of talkSPORT.com’s UFC schedule.

The UFC, on average, puts on 13 to 14 premium events in a calendar year, with up to 30 smaller ‘Fight Night’ cards allowing prospects and less experienced fighters to showcase their talents.

On January 1, 2026, Dana White’s promotion signed a seven-year broadcast deal with CBS and Paramount+ for exclusive rights in the US, meaning the UFC has put on shows like never before this year.

With the historic first event in the new Paramount era, UFC 324, delivering huge success, and a one-of-a-kind fight card at the White House in June opening up the UFC to a new audience, the promotion remains a premium global sports brand, and fans are eager to keep track of results and upcoming fights.