Coach says Dan Hooker tried to fight Justin Gaethje with one arm at UFC 313

Dan Hooker wasn't going to let a broken hand get in the way of him fighting Justin Gaethje...but, that wasn't really his call to make.

A couple of weeks prior to UFC 313, the #6 UFC lightweight contender fractured his left hand while sparring, unfortunately having to withdraw from his scheduled co-main event fight vs. Gaethje this Saturday. Rafael Fiziev, a former foe of Gaethje's, steps up as Hooker's short-notice replacement.

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'Dan Being Dan,' Bareman On Hooker Still Wanting To Fight

As it turns out, Hooker didn't give up on the idea of fighting right away. "Hangman" was holding onto hope he could still fight even with a broken hand, his longtime coach Eugene Bareman revealed.

"People aren't gonna believe this, but in the conversations I had with him, he was still trying to angle it towards fighting," coach Bareman told Combat TV. "He was still trying to... 'Ah, don't panic yet, we've just gotta get the medicals...' It's like, 'Mate, your hand's the size of a wooly mammoth. Mate, your arm has shut down. The nerves have shut down. You can't operate your arm. It's not gonna become okay in a couple of days.'"

Dan Hooker was scheduled to fight Justin Gaethje at UFC 313. | Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

"Just Dan being Dan," Bareman said of Hooker trying to fight through the injury. "You could see he was still angling for that last little bit of hope and opportunity that he might be able to fight, but can't fight through that, man. Not against that high-caliber opponent."

Coach Understands Hooker's Thinking

High-caliber is correct for Justin Gaethje, the former UFC (interim) and WSOF lightweight champion, and the second man to win the BMF title with a KO of Dustin Poirier in 2023.

With Hooker having to withdraw from this fight, Bareman says:

Dan Hooker and Claudio Puelles during UFC 281 at Madison Square Garden. | Jessica Alcheh-Imagn Images

"There's certain injuries that I think you're expected to push through as a fighter. Some minor stuff, but there's some stuff that you're not gonna be able to fight through." The fractured left hand being one of those things.

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Justin Gaethje has actually fought an opponent with one hand before, knocking out the undefeated Nick Newell to defend his WSOF title back in 2014.

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