'The Hangman' will have to wait a little longer before he wants to continue his lightweight revival lately.
Then Hooker withdrew from his collision with Justin Gaethje on UFC 313 after he announced that he had sustained a hand injury during his training camp.
Although Hooker is certainly no stranger to overcome injuries, he expected a total war with 'The Highlight' in their Five-Round Co-Main event on 8 March.
It was devastating news for Vecht fans when the game fell apart, but it is also the smart decision for the 35-year-old at this crucial moment in his career.
Hooker received criticism from people like Arman Tsarukyan for retirement, but as he showed during a recent interview, his left hand was considerably swollen.
Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC
Dan Hooker says he hopes to be back for the International Vechtweek in June
During a recent performance at the UFC show of Sky Sports Nieuw -Zeeland, Hooker described the injury after the news was broken.
Much of the conversation on 25 February was about who could possibly replace 'De Hangman' to face Justin Gaethje in just over a week with different options that raise their hands.
Of course the UFC can also remove Gaethje to reform the fight at a later date and although Hooker does not expect to be gone for long, he does not think that 'the highlight' also on the side lines until it is back.
Hooker said he hopes to be back in the time for the international fight week in the summer, which would give him four months to recover and go through another training camp.
This year the International Fight Week in Las Vegas will be built to UFC 317 on 28 June in the T-Mobile Arena, which has currently not announced any attacks.
“I don't know if they will do that, Justin Gaethje will probably not wait that long. They may have found him my replacement now, but yes, I am back to go the international fighting week. That is June, back in Las Vegas, so that is not too far away.
“I expected that I would take on some considerable damage to this fight and recover for a while, so by the time the international fighting week comes, it is just a small break in my hand and we will get it sorted as quickly as possible And again inside are in no time. ”
Who would hooker be able to face UFC 317?
The option that the fans would probably vote for if Hooker would fight on UFC 317 would be just to reconcile the Justin Gaethje fight, because it is honestly not getting much better than that.
Although the rapid turning may perhaps reign it, there is also the winner of the upcoming collision between Paddy Pimblett and Michael Chandler in April on UFC 314.
Even outside of these names there are at least four other potential candidates who would cause huge fights against a recurring 'hangman'.
A Dustin Poirier-Rematch would apparently be off the table with 'The Diamond' that focused on New Orleans for his latest dance, but for the first time clashes with Arman Tsarukyan, Charles Oliveira or Max Holloway would all be great matchups for one of the biggest cards of the year.
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