Hooker (24-12 MMA, 14-8 UFC) was scheduled to fight former interim lightweight champion Justin Gaethje (25-5 MMA, 8-5 UFC) in a five-round co-main event March 8 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas (pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+ ), but he withdrew due to a hand injury.

Dan Hooker will no longer face Justin Gaethje after revealing that he'd fractured his hand in training for their clash at UFC 313. The bout between New Zealand's Hooker and the United States' Gaethje was one of the most eagerly-anticipated bouts on the March 8 fight card for Las Vegas.

Dan Hooker has been forced to withdraw from his fight against Justin Gaethje at UFC 313 on March 8 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas due to a hand injury. In a social media post, Hooker announced in a video uploaded to YouTube that he would not participate in the five-round,