“We’re retiring that nickname,” said the newly-minted 20-year-old of his former moniker. “We decided that ‘The Teenage Dream’ gets pretty crazy when you’re in your 20s, so we’re going with ‘The Dream.’ I think Urijah (Faber) is the only one that can keep ‘Kid’ in the name.”
“The California Kid” remains eternally young, but by no means is Washington State’s Hooper an old grizzled veteran now that he’s exited his teen years. In fact, as he approaches his UFC debut on December 14 against Daniel Teymur, the emotions are the same as they’ve ever been before a fight.