Dan Hooker has had to withdraw from his co-main event matchup against Bobby Green at the UFC on ESPN 52, scheduled for December 2. Although the bout wasn’t slated as the main event, Hooker and Green were scheduled for a five-round fight.
The duration of the Lightweight’s hiatus remains uncertain, especially considering his attempt for a quick turnaround of just five months following a previous occurrence of the same injury.
However, Hooker does seem interested in fighting Bobby Green again if the UFC rebooks him for the fight against ‘King’. Nevertheless, he understands the fact that Bobby would not like to wait to fight until his return and will be actively looking for new challenges.
“You can’t you can’t expect anyone to wait around in this sport. It kind of is like it is. When you’re injured, you can’t, you can’t call your shots, you know what I mean. Like he’s obviously going to fight someone else and move on with wherever he’s going we’ll reassess it in a couple of months,” said Dan Hooker on Submission Radio.
For the second time in 2023, an injury has forced Hooker out of a scheduled bout. Initially slated to fight Jalin Turner at UFC 285 in March, a broken hand led to his withdrawal. However, Hooker later engaged in an exciting matchup with Turner at the UFC 290 event in July, securing a split decision victory and extending his winning streak to two.
The lightweight contender, currently ranked No. 9, disclosed that he re-broke his right arm in the same location where it was initially fractured. However, it is still to be seen how long he will take to make his return inside the Octagon.
Bobby Green challenges ‘gangsters’ to step up after Dan Hooker pulls out of UFC Austin
With Dan Hooker sidelined due to injury, Bobby Green finds himself without an opponent, yet he’s eager to compete in less than two weeks. The No. 13-ranked Lightweight has openly invited any willing challengers to step in on short notice.
In a video posted on his Instagram, ‘King’ expressed his readiness for a new opponent. “I want to see who’s a gangster like me. I’ve fought on ten days’ notice. I went on two weeks notice. I made weight, passed the f**k out, my lungs collapsed, and everything happened on two weeks notice,” said Bobby Green.
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The UFC has not yet found a replacement for Dan Hooker in his bout against Green and is actively searching for someone to fill his position. The initial plan was to feature the first five-round non-title fight co-main event on a UFC Fight Night, making Hooker’s absence a challenging void to fill, especially given the significance of the original matchup.
Many UFC fighters have called out Green ever since the news about Hooker pulling out came out. It will be interesting to see who the UFC deems fit to take on Green in Austin on December 2, 2023.
