said he is out of his five-round fight against Justin Gaethje on March 8 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas (pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+) due to a hand injury. The injury was first revealed when Hooker mentioned it in a video posted to his daughter’s YouTube channel, “Zoe Hooker TV,” on Tuesday.

“Dad had a fight, or was supposed to have a fight,” Hooker said. “But I’ve busted my paw.”

The UFC has not officially commented on Hooker’s status. Hooker later told Sky Sports New Zealand that he fractured his hand.

Hooker (24-12 MMA, 14-8 UFC) was looking to surge into title contention after three straight wins over Claudio Puelles, Jalin Turner, and most recently a Fight of the Night over Mateusz Gamrot at UFC 305 last August.

Meanwhile, former interim lightweight champion Gaethje (25-5 MMA, 8-5 UFC) hasn’t competed since a last-second knockout loss to Max Holloway at UFC 300 in April. He lost the BMF title, which he captured with a head-kick knockout of Dustin Poirier at UFC 291.

Upon hearing the news of Hooker’s withdrawal, a few prominent lightweights publicly volunteered to step up against Gaethje: Rafael Fiziev, Renato Moicano and Gamrot.

Let’s run it back @Justin_Gaethje https://t.co/keha1XhI5r pic.twitter.com/iYVS3JiDm7

— Rafael “Ataman” Fiziev (@RafaelFiziev) February 25, 2025

2 weeks is good! I have enough time for 2 or 3 sparring sessions! I will be ready if they call! #ufc

— Renato Moicano (@moicanoufc) February 25, 2025

Hooker out , I’m ready to go @Justin_Geathje 🔥 2 weeks no matter !! @ufc @espn

— Mateusz Gamrot (@gamer_mma) February 25, 2025

As of this writing, it’s unclear if Gaethje will remain on the card or if the UFC will rebook the Hooker fight at a later date.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 313.