Gamrot to face the chance of a lifetime? Former rival helped him

On the night of March 8-9, UFC 313 will take place, which promises to be incredibly exciting. One of the most anticipated fights was supposed to be the co-main event, in which Dan Hooker was supposed to face Justin Gaethje. On Tuesday afternoon, however, information appeared about the New Zealander's injury, which will exclude him from the performance. Upon hearing this, Mateusz Gamrot announced his readiness to replace Hooker and enter the fight at the last minute.

UFC 313 will take place on the night of Saturday, March 8 to Sunday, March 9, and its main event will be a light heavyweight championship fight between reigning champion Alex Pereira and Magomed Ankalaev. The broadcast of this spectacle will be available on Polsat sports channels.

On Tuesday afternoon, the media reported that Dan Hooker had withdrawn from the UFC 313 gala. The New Zealander's absence was reported by Australian MMA journalist Benny P. Among the potential replacements, the name of Mateusz Gamrot quickly appeared, and he did not hide his readiness to fight the 36-year-old American.

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- Hooker is out. I'm ready to replace him against Justin Gaethje. Two weeks left, but it doesn't matter - announced "Gamer" on platform X.

The Polish fighter last faced Hooker, losing to him by split decision at UFC 305 last September. As the eighth lightweight and closest to "The Hangman," his candidacy seems the most logical (Michael Chandler, who falls between them, already has a fight scheduled with Paddy Pimblett at UFC 314).

Justin Gaethje, currently ranked third in the lightweight category, is a former UFC interim champion who held the title from May to October 2020. In July 2023, he defeated Dustin Poirier by a spectacular knockout, winning the symbolic "BMF" belt. He lost this title to Max Holloway during the historic UFC 300 gala, where the Hawaiian knocked him out seconds before the end of the fight, which was considered one of the best knockouts of 2024. A win against such a valued fighter as Gaethje could be a ticket for "Gamer" to the top of the lightweight category in the UFC, and may even pave the way for the belt of this division.