Justin Gaethje (25-5) is preparing to return to action against Dan Hooker (24-12).
Gaethje is currently at a crossroads in his career. Gaethje withdrew his two lightweight title bids against Khabib Nurmagomedov in 2020 and Charles Oliveira in 2022. After that, “Highlight” bounced back with a decision victory over Rafael Fiziev, followed by a highlight head kick KO against Dustin Poirier.
With his lightweight title shot still on the line, Gaethje faced Max Holloway for the BMF title at UFC 300 in April 2024. In a shocking upset, Holloway defeated Gaethje in five rounds and engaged him in a slugfest in the final seconds. And he knocked him out with a buzzer beater.
Gaethje is now back in training and already has a date and opponent in mind for his return. Although no decision has been made yet, the 36-year-old is in talks to face Hooker at UFC 313 on March 8th at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
“So I don’t have an official fight contract, but I told the UFC probably two or three months ago that March is the date I’m looking for,” Gaethje said on his YouTube channel. “I know there’s a fight in Las Vegas on March 8th, so I told them I want to be there. I think they’re thinking about the fight now, but I certainly want to fight on that day. I’m preparing mentally and physically.In other words, it’s going to be completed in the blink of an eye, so time flies.
“I’m really excited to come off the knockout and get back to training. When you’re as competitive as we are and you suffer a loss like that, [it]
Your fire will be lit. So back to the topic… I think it’s going to be Dan Hooker, but things can change at any time in the UFC. But that’s how I’m preparing mentally and physically for the match on March 8th. Now back to work. I feel good, I’m ready. ”
After dropping four of his five UFC bouts from 2020 to 2022, Hooker bounced back with three straight wins over Claudio Puerez, Jalin Turner, and Mateusz Gamrot.