Jefferson Nascimento is stepping into the UFC for the first time on Saturday at UFC Baku, and he is doing it with Chase Hooper already on his mind. Nascimento told MMA Fighting that Hooper is “easy money,” a line that landed harder because it came from an undefeated fighter making a short-notice debut against Tahir Abdullaev.
That is why his name is getting searched now. Nascimento, 13-0, earned a UFC contract nine days before getting the call for Baku, and he followed that by publicly questioning why Hooper had a roster spot years before him. In April, after Hooper was knocked out by Lance Gibson Jr. at UFC 324, Nascimento posted a mock fight announcement pairing himself with Hooper, turning a future matchup into something he clearly thinks is already settled in his favor.
The timing gives the comments weight. Nascimento captured his third LFA title defense in May with a fourth-round knockout, then jumped straight into a debut that will be staged at 170 pounds on the UFC Baku prelims even though he plans to campaign at lightweight after this weekend. That part matters because it shows how quickly the UFC can pull in an unbeaten fighter and how willing Nascimento is to take a bout outside the division he says he wants to live in.
He is also not pretending the setting bothers him. Nascimento said he likes fighting in enemy territory, and he said the booing in Azerbaijan gives him more motivation. “I think it motivates me and gives me an extra boost. Of course it’s great to fight at home, close to my family and friends, but seeing the crowd booing me and then proving them wrong gives me even more motivation,” he said. He has also left the door open for more short-notice welterweight bookings after Baku, a reminder that the first UFC appearance may not fit the long-term plan.
For now, the immediate picture is simple: Nascimento gets his debut against Tahir Abdullaev on Saturday, while Hooper moves on to Mitch Ramirez in Oklahoma City on July 18 for his 14th UFC appearance. If Nascimento wins the way he says he expects, the callout will not read like pre-fight noise anymore. It will read like a challenge the UFC may have to answer.
