Everybody and their brother tried to step up and fight UFC star Justin Gaethje.
On Wednesday, UFC 313 took a major hit when Dan Hooker was forced out of his co-headliner against Gaethje (25-5) due to injury. The two lightweights were set to collide for a non-championship five-round affair at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. After much consideration and several names offered to the UFC, the promotion selected Rafael Fiziev (12-3) as Hooker’s replacement, setting up a rematch dating back a few years.
According to Gaethje on Thursday, multiple names were in contention as new foes.