UFC 313 will need a new co-main event.
A lightweight contest between stars Justin Gaethje and Dan Hooker scheduled for the upcoming March 8 pay-per-view card will no longer take place after Hooker revealed he is dealing with a significant hand injury less than two weeks before the anticipated five-round bout.
Hooker, while speaking to the camera in a video posted to his daughter’s YouTube page early Tuesday, showed off a swollen left hand and said, “Dad had a fight, or was supposed to have a fight, but I’ve busted my paw,” insinuating his matchup with Gaethje would no longer be taking place at UFC 313.
The UFC has not yet publicly announced Hooker’s withdrawal from the event, which is set to take place at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, however later on Tuesday Hooker appeared on Sky Sports New Zealand where he confirmed he is dealing with a fracture.
“Sparring last night, letting some hooks go as I do, just throwing some bombs down range, and just caught one of the boys on the top of the dome with my knuckle,” Hooker explained. “I didn’t think too much of it but they sent me off to get a CT scan, so I had a little CT scan and they told me I had this fracture.”
Hooker went on to say with a laugh that he would still be willing to fight through the pain if they'd allow him, but also suggested that his injury would likely prevent him from passing a pre-fight medical examination.
“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, baby,” Hooker said. “It’s just unfortunate it was this close. I’m gutted for all the fans. I know they were excited for this fight. That’s the main thing. The lords of war were not happy and they took it away from ya.”
At this point, it is unclear whether the UFC is looking to find a replacement opponent for Gaethje to face at the event, or if the organization will attempt to book a new co-main event altogether on short notice.
Rafael Fiziev, a former opponent of Gaethje’s, has offered to step in for a short-notice rematch, sending a "let's run it back" message to Gaethje on social media. Gaethje won a three-round majority decision over Fiziev at UFC 283 in March of 2023. The Azerbaijani has not fought since losing due to a knee injury to Mateusz Gamrot in September of 2023.
Gaethje, the No. 3-ranked contender in the 155-pound division, has not fought since being knocked out by Max Holloway at UFC 300. No. 6-ranked Hooker, meanwhile, has won three fights in a row dating back to 2022.
UFC 313 is headlined by a light-heavyweight title fight between champion Alex Pereira and No. 1 contender Magomed Ankalaev.
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