The upcoming UFC 313 card on March 8th has lost it’s co-main fight between Justin Gaethje and Dan Hooker after “The Hangman” broke his hand.
The news, first reported by Australian reporter Benny P, was later confirmed in a video from Hooker.
“We did have a little break, we have been busy,” Hooker said as he sat next to his daughter. “Dad had a fight, or was supposed to have a fight because I’ve busted my paw.”
Hooker raised his hand up to show the telltale swelling over the top of his hand indicating a break. It’s unclear how bad the injury is, other than it’s bad enough to stop the New Zealand fighter from competing in two weeks.
Also uncertain at the moment is what happens with Justin Gaethje. Does the UFC pull “The Highlight” from the Las Vegas pay-per-view, leaving it looking pretty damn thin? Or keep him on and find someone for him to maul?
For those who love the Gaethje vs. Hooker match-up, a delay seems like the best idea. But given how the UFC machine likes to move forward no matter what, we wouldn’t be surprised if a late replacement is scrounged up.
There’s certainly no lack of available talent at 155 to hypothetically fight Gaethje. With just a week and a half left before UFC 313, though, we’d temper your expectations of an impressive resolution to this bad news. Most lightweights need a certain amount of time to make 155 pounds, and we’re past the point where many top contenders would be physically capable of making the weight.
Could Las Vegas’ loss be Miami (UFC 314) or Montreal’s (UFC 315) gain?
