UFC 313: Fighters line up to face Gaethje after Hooker withdraws
Justin Gaethje has at least three lightweights eager to fight him in the co-main event of UFC 313 after news broke that Dan Hooker would be unable to compete on March 9 in Las Vegas.
Gaethje and Hooker were due to clash in one of the most anticipated bouts of the year at T-Mobile Arena, with the winner in line for a title shot against Islam Makhachev next.
But Hooker is now unable to take to the octagon, sharing on Tuesday that he suffered a hand fracture in training.
“One of the paws is not doing too well,” he said.
“Had a little CT scan and they told me my hand is fractured.”
The New Zealander was an underdog heading into the clash, but not by a wide margin, with top UFC betting sites pricing the fight at $1.65 to $2.30 in Gaethje’s favour.
Other ranked lightweights have been quick to come out of the woodwork and volunteer to take Hooker’s place, with Rafael Fiziev, Mateusz Gamrot and Renato Moicano all stepping up.
“Let’s run it back Justin Gaethje,” Fiziev said on X, in reference to the pair’s fight at UFC 286 which he lost by majority decision in March 2023.
“My fight with Hooker was very close and he got lucky with the judges,” Gamrot also wrote on X, tagging Gaethje.
“Time to fix it and prove it!”
“Two weeks is good,” said Moicano, who stepped in to fight Islam Makhachev on short notice last month when Arman Tsarukyan withdrew ahead of UFC 311.
“I have enough time for two or three sparring sessions.
“I will be ready if they call.”
Earlier on Tuesday, Hooker explained how he acquired the hand injury.
“I was sparring last night, as I do, just letting some hooks go, just throwing some bombs down range, and I just caught one of the boys on the top of the dome with my knuckle.
“I don’t think too much of it but they sent me off to get a CT scan.”
With the scan showing that Hooker had a hairline crack in one of his knuckles, the Kiwi said he was still eager to compete at UFC 313 but would not be able to pass the medical examinations.
“I obviously still would fight,” he said.
“But with the medicals they squeeze your hands and [makes face and screams].
“We’ll see how it all plays out. We’ll see if we can kick this fight down the road or we’ll just wait and see.
“It’s unfortunate that it was this close.
“Obviously, gutted for all the fans that I know that were excited for this fight. That’s probably the main thing, I think.
“The Lords of War were not happy, and they took it away from you.”
