Dan Hooker is out of UFC 313 clash against Justin Gaethje. Who will be the replacement of Dan Hooker at UFC 313?
The buzz for UFC 313 has been huge as it is one of the main events in 2025 in MMA. With only a few days to go for the event, the high-voltage clash between Dan Hooker vs Justin Gaethje will not take place. Dan Hooker, the fighter from New Zealand is out of the clash with a hand injury. Hooker has a fractured hand and will not be available for the bout. The UFC has a huge challenge as they have to find an opponent for Justin Gaethje.
Justin Gaethje is awaiting his opponent for UFC 313 and there are plenty of options for the clash that will take place on March 8, 2025. The UFC is yet to announce the replacement for Dan Hooker, but there are three fighters who await the opportunity. Renato Moicano, Mateusz Gamrot, and Rafael Fiziev are raring to go against Justin Gaethje, but it’s the UFC who has to finalize the opponent for the most anticipated event.
Who will replace Dan Hooker at UFC 313? – Justin Gaethje’s Opponent
As soon as Dan Hooker announced his decision, there were talks among fans about the opponent for the MMA event. The hype has been incredible for the UFC 313 MMA Event. Here is the list of fighters who might be the replacement of Dan Hooker at UFC 313,
Renato Moicano
Renato Moicano, the Brazilian fighter is one among many options to replace Dan Hooker. Moicano is ranked #10 in the UFC lightweight rankings. When the news of Dan Hooker came out, Moicano didn’t waste a minute and shared a tweet on his Twitter handle. Moicano states he has 2 or 3 sessions and two weeks’ time will be more than enough. In 27 MMA fights, Moicano won 20 and lost 6 with 1 draw. Renato Moicano never fought against Justin Gaethje and this will be a good opportunity for the Brazilian fighter if he is named as the replacement.
Rafael Fiziev
Rafael Fiziev, the Azerbaijani fighter is another possible replacement for UFC 313 against Justin Gaethje. Fiziev has given an open challenge to Gaethje on Twitter with a GIF that shows him flexing his muscles. Justin Gaethje and Rafael Fiziev fought at UFC 286 in 2023 and Justin Gaethje won the clash by decision (majority). This will be the best clash for Fiziev and a win will make it even-steven for both the fighters.
Mateusz Gamrot
The Polish UFC fighter Gamrot is eager to tussle against Justin Gaethje at UFC 313. It is not clear whether the UFC will name Gamrot as the replacement of Dan Hooker, but one can see the excitement of Gamrot in his tweets. He also revealed that Dan Hooker was lucky to win the clash against him at UFC 305 as judges were in favor of Hooker. Gamrot has won 24 fights with just 3 defeats. He is ranked #8 in the UFC lightweight division. Gamrot has won KSW Featherweight and KSW Lightweight titles.
Conclusion
UFC 313 starts in two weeks at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The UFC will announce the replacement of Dan Hooker (UFC 313) in a day or two. When UFC announced the withdrawal of Dan Hooker, Justin Gaethje shared a post on his Snapchat with a caption, “Hooker is out of the fight. Waiting for a new opponent.” On the other hand, Dan Hooker was seen at Sky Sport NZ Studio where he revealed he would fight against Justin Gaethje even with an injury with different sizes of gloves. There is no information about Dan Hooker’s entry to the UFC and sources indicate he will be out of action for at least 4 months.