Justin Gaethje Expects to Fight Dan Hooker at UFC 313

Justin Gaethje (25-5) is preparing to return to action against Dan Hooker (24-12).

Gaethje is currently at a crossroads in his career. Gaethje has dropped two lightweight title bids, against Khabib Nurmagomedov in 2020 and Charles Oliveira in 2022. “The Highlight” then bounced back with a decision win over Rafael Fiziev followed by a highlight-reel head kick KO against Dustin Poirier.

With a lightweight title shot still not in sight, Gaethje then took on Max Holloway in a BMF title fight at UFC 300 in April 2024. In a shocking upset, Holloway beat down Gaethje for five rounds, challenged him to a slugfest in the final seconds and knocked him out in a buzzer beater.

Gaethje is now back in training and already has a date and opponent in mind for his return. While he is yet to put pen to paper, the 36-year-old is in talks for a clash against Hooker at UFC 313 on March 8 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

“So there’s no official fight signed but I told the UFC maybe two or three months ago that March was the date I was looking for,” Gaethje said on his YouTube channel. “I know there’s a fight March 8 in Las Vegas, so that’s the one I told them I wanted to be on. I think they’re figuring out fights right now, but I’m certainly mentally preparing, physically preparing to fight on that date. So that’s eight and a half weeks out, which means it’s really gonna be here in the blink of an eye. When it comes down to things, time flies.

“Coming off a knockout, I’m really excited to get back in training. When you take a loss like that, as competitive as we are, [it] light’s a fire on your asa. So we’re back to it… I think it’s going to be Dan Hooker but with the UFC, things can always change. But that’s what I’m preparing for, mentally, physically for that fight March 8. So back to work. Feeling good, ready to go.”

After dropping four out of five UFC bouts between 2020 and 2022, Hooker has bounced back with three straight wins against Claudio Puelles, Jalin Turner and Mateusz Gamrot.