Dan Hooker has been forced to withdraw from his UFC 313 co-main event fight with Justin Gaethje, according to numerous reports.
‘The Hangman’ had been scheduled to take on lightweight veteran Gaethje in a five-round co-main event at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas in advance of the headline bout between Alex Pereira and Magomed Ankalaev — but various media reports, which have apparently been confirmed by Hooker himself, indicate that a hand injury has removed him from the contest.
The UFC has yet to formally confirm Hooker’s removal from the card but the New Zealander commented on his daughter’s video blog that the was “supposed to have a fight” but has a “busted paw.”
It remains to be seen if the UFC will seek to keep Gaethje on the March 8 card or if they will seek a new fight for the American.
The Hooker vs. Gaethje bout was one of the most highly-anticipated on the UFC 313 card, with Hooker coming into the fight on the back of three successive wins at 155-pounds over Claudio Puelles, Jalin Turner (158-pounds catchweight) and last August against Mateusz Gamrot.
Gaethje, meanwhile, has not fought since his stunning last-second knockout loss to Max Holloway back in April of last year.
