Heading into UFC 313, fans were extremely excited to witness the clash between Dan Hooker and Justin Gaethje. Both fighters are known for their ruthless styles—Gaethje, famously called the human ‘Highlight,’ for his devastating, truck-like punches, and Hooker, dubbed a ‘psycho fighter’ by Israel Adesanya. “I know full well, 100 percent, that no matter whether his arm gets raised or mine does, I’m going straight on a stretcher,” Dan Hooker told ESPN with a smile on his face in Feb. Both were prepared for war, but fate had other plans. After Hooker was forced to pull out due to an injury, Rafael Fiziev replaced him. But what happens to the Kiwi fighter?

Days have passed since the announcement, and it appears that ‘The Hangman’s’ injury might be more serious than initially expected. Sharing his ordeal with fans, Dan Hooker took to his Instagram story to reveal the aftermath of his left-hand surgery—and it looks brutal. You can see a long stitch extending from his thumb to the middle of his wrist.

When Hooker first announced his injury on his daughter’s vlog, he stated, “Dad had a fight, or was supposed to have a fight, but I’ve busted my paw.” Fans assumed it was a minor one, but it turned out to be a far more serious injury that took place while he was sparring. After a CT scan, he was told it was a fracture and would have to undergo surgery.

In the update he shared, a doctor was seen removing his stitches. While he shows his recovery has progressed, coming back from a broken hand is no easy feat. As of now, we do not know when the fighter will return to the octagon.

After back-to-back defeats against Islam Makhachev and Arnold Allen, Dan Hooker established himself as a rising contender in the UFC’s lightweight division with three consecutive victories. His streak began with a finish over Claudio Puelles at UFC 281 in November 2022, followed by a decision win against Jalin Turner at UFC 290 in July 2023. Most recently, he clinched a victory against Mateusz Gamrot via split decision at UFC 305 last year.

Looking at his amazing run, Dana White decided to test the Kiwi’s mettle against Justin Gaethje, but we know what happened. While it was nice for the New Zealand hotshot to share the necessary update with his fans, the MMA community might be a bit worried for ‘The Hangman’, provided that injuries like this are often considered career-ending.

Dan Hooker: His injury has left UFC fans thinking about the worst!

Dan Hooker is not afraid of injuries, however, it’s a different thing when the injury comes back again and again. In 2023, the fighter was originally scheduled to face Jalin Turner but withdrew due to a hand injury. However, they eventually met at UFC 290, where he earned a gritty split-decision victory. Looking at the condition of his injury, a fan wrote:

• “This is a career-ending injury for a fighter.”

This reminds us of Conor McGregor’s leg injury against Dustin Poirier at UFC 264. That too was deemed a career-ending one and though ‘The Notorious’ has maintained the stance that he will return, it has been more than three years and his comeback plan still isn’t on paper. Similarly, fans feel it will be difficult for Hooker to come back to the return after a broken hand.

• “I don’t think you’ll be able to fight again with a hand ready to explode.”

UFC has a ton of high-profile fighters who took retirement or stopped fighting due to their injuries. Darren Till, Conor McGregor, Dominick Cruz, and TJ Dillashaw are some of the names who are either retired or out of the combat world due to injuries. Moreover, some fans were astonished by the degree of the injury ‘The Hangman’ is facing:

• “Was his sparring partner a statue?”
• “WTF was he doing when he broke his hand? That looks like it’ll open up during his next fight. That’s a brutal scar.”

Most recently, it was Umar Nurmagomedov who experienced a broken left hand during his bout against Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 311. However, the Dagestani too has undergone surgery and updated his fans about it.

The UFC is interested in booking a fight between Justin Gaethje and Dan Hooker in the future, but looking at ‘The Hangman’ and his current state, it appears that they would have to wait for that to happen. Perhaps it would be best for the latter to focus solely on getting better and then slowly get into the groove of training and seeing how his left hand feels.

• “yea man i don’t see how you can come back from a broken hand as an MMA fighter … one full force punch and he’s right back to broken bones.”

Do you think Dan Hooker will be back to the octagon after tending to his injury? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.