Surging light-weight contender, Dan Hooker has gone beneath the knife to deal with his hand fracture suffered within the weeks earlier than his UFC 313 battle with Justin Gaethje, which finally dominated him from the co-main occasion conflict.
Hooker, the present quantity six ranked light-weight challenger, was slated to return in a 5 spherical barnburner towards former interim champion, Gaethje this weekend within the co-headliner of UFC 313.
In a bid to earn his first title shot within the promotion, Metropolis Kickboxing ace would put his spectacular run of three straight victories on the road, following a previous August resolution win over European expertise, Mateusz Gamrot.
And concentrating on a summer season return to motion throughout Worldwide Combat Week at UFC 317, Kiwi striker, Hooker underwent surgical procedure to deal with his hand fracture this week.
Dan Hooker undergoes hand surgical procedure after UFC 313 battle exit
“Brb (Be right back),” Dan Hooker posted on Instagram, accompanied by a photograph of him in hospital after his hand surgical procedure.
And seeing a pairing with fan-favorite finisher, Gaethje fall to the wayside, former middleweight kingpin, Robert Whittaker admitted he was blissful to see the matchup fall via, citing considerations for his or her security.
“I have such mixed feelings,” Whittaker mentioned on his MMArcade Podcast. “With (Dan) Hooker out, I’m blissful finally, although, as a result of let’s face it— (Justin) Gaethje vs. Hooker, a kind of two dudes was going to die. And I’m a giant fan of each guys, proper? However one in all them wasn’t leaving the octagon. Neither of them have been. It will have been wonderful, like the very best battle of the 12 months, simply.
“But I’m a big fan of Hooker, and I’m a big fan of Gaethje, and I didn’t want to see one of my favorite dudes die.”
