What a disappointing day for mixed martial arts fans. The UFC 313 co-main event matchup between Dan ‘Hangman’ Hooker and Justin ‘The Highlight’ Gaethje, which was a 100-percent guaranteed bloodbath waiting to happen, has been scrapped.

Hooker has been forced out of the bout due to an injury to his left hand.

“Dad had a fight, or was supposed to have a fight, but I’ve busted my paw,” Hooker said in a video posted on his daughter’s YouTube account.

Although that’s a major letdown, the beautiful thing about the UFC is how exceptional the promotion is at creating new scraps on short notice. However, it’s doubtful that we’ll be treated to a five-round battle like the one that was scheduled for Gaethje and Hooker.

The short-notice replacement is already at a disadvantage, so you would think that the new contest will be a three-round affair.

Per usual, there’s been no shortage of volunteers throwing their names in the hat to take on the 36-year-old Gaethje, who is in bounce-back mode after losing to Max Holloway via fifth-round knockout with one second remaining at UFC 300.

Renato Moicano, Rafael Fiziev, Mateusz Gamrot and Arman Tsarukyan have all volunteered their services. Gaethje already has a majority decision win over Fiziev at UFC 286 in a bout that garnered Fight of the Night honors back in 2023.

Before losing to Holloway, Gaethje (25-5 MMA, 8-5 UFC) was off a second-round knockout win over Dustin Poirier at UFC 291 to win the ‘BMF’ belt. Hooker (24-12 MMA, 14-8 UFC) has ripped off three wins in a row.

UFC 313 is scheduled for March 8 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The show’s main event will feature light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira, who is a -115 to -120 favorite to successfully defend his strap against Magomed Ankalaev.