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Bad news for mixed martial arts and the UFC. The Dan Hooker (24-12) vs Justin Gaethje (25-5) fight at UFC 313 will not take place. The Australian fighter has been injured and will not fight on March 8 in Las Vegas. It was to be the co-main event after the Alex Pereira vs Ankalaev fight.
Unfortunate news has come from Australia via Benny P: "Unfortunate news, but according to sources, Dan Hooker is out of his fight against Justin Gaethje at UFC 313. It is unknown if Justin Gaethje will have a replacement or if they will reschedule him for a later card".
As the Australian journalist points out, it is not clear what is going to happen, but normally, with two weeks to go, the UFC could find an alternative to fight Gaethje.
At the moment, Azerbaijani fighter Rafael Fiziev (12-3), who has not fought since September 2023 due to various injuries, has raised his hand and asked to fight Gaethje. It would be a rematch of the fight they had in London in March 2023, which Gaethje won in an impressive fight.
It should be ed that both Ilia Topuria (16-0) and Joel Alvarez (22-3) now share a division with Gaethje in the lightweight division, but it is quite unlikely (if not totally impossible) that either of them will be Hooker's replacement. Topuria is aiming higher and Joel, although he has started camp, could not make the weight yet: his plan is UFC 315 in May against Saint Denis.