Three fighters volunteer to face Justin Gaethje at UFC 313

Justin Gaethje won’t be fighting Dan Hooker at UFC 313, but he has no shortage of opponents willing to step up to challenge him.

A bevy of high-profile lightweights have volunteered their services to replace Hooker after “The Hangman” announced Tuesday that a hand injury has forced him out of his March 8 fight with Gaethje.

Rafael Fiziev was first to throw his hat in the ring, reacting to the unfortunate news a little over an hour after it broke.

“Let’s run it back,” Fiziev wrote on Twitter.

Fiziev lost a majority decision to Gaethje at UFC 286, a bout that won Fight of the Night honors. “Ataman” has been itching for a return to action since injuring his knee in the second round of a bout against Mateusz Gamrot. The setback has kept Fiziev on the shelf since September 2023, but a win over Gaethje would put him in the thick of the lightweight title race.

Speaking of Gamrot, he also took to Twitter to express his willingness to fight Gaethje. In his most recent outing at UFC 305 this past August, Gamrot lost a split decision to Hooker and he’s eager to get back in the win column.

“My fight with Hooker was very close and he got lucky with the judges,” Gamrot wrote in a tweet tagging Gaethje’s account. “Time to fix it and prove it.”

To no one’s surprise, the always game Renato Moicano also appears to be volunteering for the short-notice opportunity. He wrote on Twitter, “Two weeks is good. I have enough time for two or three sparring sessions. I will be ready if they call.”

A tweet from the account of his podcast Show Me the Money also suggested his interest.

“Money” Moicano has developed a reputation for fighting anytime, anywhere, with the most recent example being his last-second title fight against lightweight champion Islam Makhachev this past January. UFC 311 was supposed to be headlined by Makhachev defending his title against Arman Tsarukyan, but when a back injury forced Tsarukyan off the card just a day before fight night, Moicano was pulled from a fight with Beneil Dariush to challenge Makhachev instead.

Though Moicano was submitted in the first round and saw a four-fight win streak snapped, his willingness to take on the No. 1 Pound-for-Pound fighter in the world meant he lost little in terms of popularity.

One fighter who wants no part of Gaethje right now is retired UFC lightweight Paul Felder. The cageside commentator’s name was volunteered by welterweight champion Belal Muhammad, but “The Irish Dragon” made it clear he is happy staying on the sidelines.

“You trying to get me hurt?” Felder wrote in reply to Muhammad.

The UFC has not issued any official word on the status Gaethje vs. Hooker, so it’s possible the matchup could be rescheduled rather than Gaethje fighting a short-notice opponent next Saturday.

UFC 313 takes place at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on March 8. In the main event, Alex Pereira defends his light heavyweight title against Magomed Ankalaev.