Dana White’s UFC 313 Saved From Jeopardy as Justin Gaethje Gets 2 Opponents After Dan Hooker’s Pullout

Heading into the fight against Justin Gaethje, Dan Hooker knew what he was up against. He boldly claimed, “No matter whether his arm gets raised, my arm gets raised, I’m going straight on a stretcher.” Well, given Gaethje’s reputation as the division’s “Human Highlight Reel” known for turning opponents’ faces into abstract art, this was not an invalid concern. However, in an ironic twist, Hooker popped up on his daughter’s YouTube channel on Tuesday to confirm that he has injured his hand and will be unable to fight. “Dad had a fight, or was supposed to have a fight. But I’ve busted my paw.” This has left Dana White scrambling for a replacement for his UFC 313 card with just two weeks to go.

Hooker is on a three-fight win streak and the fight against Gaethje promised to be an enticing encounter that would have satiated the bloody thirsty fans. But now, Gaethje is without a dance partner after the news of Hooker’s withdrawal from the card on March 8 was confirmed. But Gaethje wasn’t waiting around.

Gaethje continued to post training videos and underwent regular media duties. Initially, he didn’t comment on the situation but later laid down the gauntlet. Taking to his  Snapchat he shared a brief message which read: “Hooker is out of the fight. Waiting for a new opponent.” Well, his challenge has been met with resounding responses.

Interestingly, it looks like Gaethje might have not one, but two potential replacements for his troubles.

Brazilian MMA fighter Renato Moicano posted a tweet, “Two weeks is good! I have enough time for 2 or 3 sparring sessions! I will be ready if they call!” ‘Money’ is no stranger to last-minute opportunities, having famously stepped up on just a day’s notice to face Islam Makhachev for the title at UFC 311. At UFC 311, Makhachev was scheduled to defend his title against Arman Tsarukyan. But a back injury forced Tsarukyan off the card just a day before fight night and Moicano was pulled from a fight with Beneil Dariush to challenge Makhachev instead.

Even though he was submitted in the first round, his willingness to step up on such a short against the champion did his reputation no harm. It remains to be seen if the UFC will turn to him again.

Meanwhile, top 155fer Rafael Fiziev has also thrown his name into the mix. The 31-year-old has a score to settle with Gaethje, dating back to their electrifying clash at UFC 286, where ‘The Highlight’ secured a hard-fought decision victory. Now, Fiziev appears eager to get back in the Octagon against Gaethje, taking to X to call for the rematch just a little over an hour after the news of Hooker’s withdrawal broke. “Let’s run it back @Justin_Gaethje,” posted.

Their last encounter earned the Fight of the Night honors and “Ataman” has been eager for a return to action since injuring his knee in the second round of a bout against Mateusz Gamrot. That injury has Fiziev on the shelf since September 2023 and he knows a win over Gaethje would put him back in talk for the lightweight title race.

However, the man who will ultimately make the decision is yet to speak on the matter. Dana White might already be reaching out to Moicano and Fiziev and perhaps a couple of other big names to see who will be the right fit for Gaethje, but no official statement has come from him or UFC as of yet.

Apart from those who have thrown their hat in the ring, it is possible that someone like Ilia Topuria might be asked to step up for a mouth-watering clash.  Topuria recently relinquished his featherweight title to move up to lightweight and a contest against someone like Gaethje would be seen as a blockbuster welcome to the division.

The news of Hooker’s withdrawal has dampened the enthusiasm around Gaethje’s return to the octagon for the first time since April 2024. UFC 300 saw Max Holloway knockout Gaethje in the fifth round to win the BMF title. Gaethje understands how important his next fight is so the news of Hooker’s inability to compete doesn’t bode well.

Meanwhile, after the news of his withdrawal from the UFC 313 card, Hooker confirmed how he injured his hand.

Dan Hooker explains how he injured his hand

Dan Hooker knew exactly what he was getting into at UFC 313. A five-round battle with Justin Gaethje was always going to be a fight worth remembering. And it seems Hooker was prepared to leave everything inside the Octagon during that fight. However, it will have to wait for now.

Hooker explained how the injury occurred in an interview with Sky Sport New Zealand. The Kiwi said, “Just sparring last night as I do, just letting some hooks go, just throwing some bombs down range, and just caught one of the boys on the top of the dome with my knuckle. I didn’t think much of it. They sent me off to get a CT scan.”

The scan results revealed Hooker had fractured his left hand but he remains hopeful of facing Gaethje once he recovers.

“We’ll see if we can kick this fight down the road,” Hooker said. “We’ll just wait and see, baby. And it’s just 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. The lords of war were not happy.” This isn’t the first time the New Zealander has been sidelined by injuries. Back in 2023, he was set to face Jalin Turner at UFC 285 in March but was forced to withdraw due to a hand injury.

When the fight eventually took place at UFC 290 in July, Hooker battled his way to a gritty split-decision victory. But that win came at a steep price—he left the Octagon with a broken right arm. While Hooker’s camp has yet to release an official statement, speculation is already running rampant. Did he aggravate his previous hand injury? Or is it something even more serious?

One thing is certain! The highly anticipated clash with Gaethje, a fight fans had marked on their calendars, is no longer happening. Who do you think Justin Gaethje will be fighting next? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.