UFC 313: Is accepting short-notice fights worth the reward? - ESPN

JUSTIN GAETHJE AND Dan Hooker were slated to fight in a highly anticipated five-round co-main event at UFC 313 on Saturday. Hooker suffered a hand injury just two weeks ago and, as a result, the UFC found itself in familiar territory.

UFC 313 will mark the fifth time since 2023 that a pay-per-view has lost its main or co-main event less than 21 days before the event. Many UFC Fight Night cards have also undergone late facelifts as well.

As they say: The show must go on. In the case of UFC 313, crowd-pleasing striker Rafael Fiziev stepped up after a 532-day absence to replace Hooker on 10 days' notice and will face Gaethje in a rematch of their thrilling 2023 showdown, which Gaethje won by majority decision. This time, the stakes for Gaethje have changed considerably.

UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira puts his title on the line against Magomed Ankalaev while Justin Gaethje and Rafael Fiziev square off in the co-main event.

Get access to UFC 313 on ESPN+ PPV

UFC 313: Pereira-Ankalaev
Sat., March 8, T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas
•Main card: 10 p.m. ET on ESPN+ PPV
•Prelims: 8 p.m. on ESPNEWS/ESPN+/Disney+
•Early Prelims: 6:30 p.m. on ESPN+/Disney+

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«The Highlight» is looking to bounce back from a knockout loss to Max Holloway at UFC 300 and climb back into title contention. A win against the surging Hooker, the UFC's No. 6-ranked lightweight who is on a three-fight winning streak, would have gotten the third-ranked Gaethje closer to a title fight. Instead, he'll face the No. 11 Fiziev, who is coming off two straight losses. Gaethje's reward for winning isn't quite what he originally had