A shared affinity for violence is the reason Dan Hooker believes his clash with Justin Gaethje has been set for five rounds.
The pair enter the contest firmly in the conversation for a shot at lightweight champion, Islam Makhachev.
Hooker secured his biggest victory to date at UFC 305 beating Mateusz Gamrot via split-decision and back-to-back victories in the twilight of his career have propelled him even closer to a title shot.
Gaethje is looking to rebound following his knockout loss to Max Holloway at UFC 300, before that outing ‘The Highlight’ exacted his revenge on Dustin Poirier with a stunning head-kick knockout of the former interim champion.
The stakes could not possibly be higher for either man heading into UFC 313, victory all but guarantees one of them a shot at the belt whilst defeat could signal the end to either fighter’s title aspirations.
Dan Hooker and Justin Gaethje set for five-round title eliminator at UFC 313
‘The Hangman’ and Gaethje have delivered all-violence affairs throughout their respective careers and going into their lightweight title eliminator at UFC 313, Hooker expects this clash to be no different.
During an appearance on the Ariel Helwani Show, the 34-year-old shared his thoughts as to why his co-main event clash with Gaethje has been bumped up to five rounds.
“I think the UFC wants to see someone die… They wanna see someone go down. They wanna see blood. They wanna see rounds 4 and 5.”
Dana White seemed less than impressed after Arman Tsarukyan had to withdraw from his scheduled bout with Makhachev just hours later and didn’t comment on whether Tsarukyan would receive an immediate title shot upon his return.
A lack of viable contenders has left the 155-pound champion with the desire to move weight class. Gaethje and Hooker both have the opportunity to catapult themselves to the top of the pile and would need to do so in an emphatic fashion to prevent a potential fight between Makhachev and Dricus Du Plessis.
Dan Hooker or Justin Gaethje next for Islam Makhachev?
Hooker has already had his chance against Makhachev before the Dagestani native secured the title, suffering a first-round submission loss.
Gaethje, however, is yet to face the current champion and provides a fresh challenge. Makhachev has already welcomed a potential fight with Gaethje as he continues to clear out all contenders in the lightweight division.
The Dagestani native is on a quest for ‘double-champion’ status having recently changed his opinion on whether a move up to welterweight is a possibility. Belal Muhammad and Shavkhat Rakhmonov are expected to have their title clash rescheduled following Muhammad’s withdrawal from UFC 310.
Whilst the lightweight champion may have to wait for a shot at the welterweight title, a shot at the middleweight strap could come sooner with Du Plessis interested in the Makhachev fight.
Featherweight champion Ilia Topuria also called out Makhachev offering the lightweight champion a fresh challenge.