After almost nine months on the sidelines, Justin Gaethje is seemingly preparing for an imminent return to action sometime this spring. In his last trip to the Octagon, “The Highlight” engaged in a five-round thriller with former featherweight king Max Holloway at UFC 300, only to fall to “blessed” by big knockout in the closing seconds of the fight. The finish immediately went viral and catapulted Holloway into a newfound level of stardom, while Gaethje suffered his second stoppage loss in four contests.
Justin Gaethje Plans For Comeback in March
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Justin Gaethje gives more details on when fans can expect him to make the walk to the cage next and where the fight can take place.
“So, there’s no official fight signed, but I told the UFC maybe two, three months ago that March was, you know, the date I was looking for,” Justin Gaethje began. “I know there’s a fight March 8 in Las Vegas so, that’s the one I told them I wanted to be on. I think they’re figuring out fights right now, but I’m certainly mentally preparing, physically preparing to fight on that date. So, that puts us eight-and-a-half weeks’ out, which means it’s really going to be here.”
Justin Gaethje Reveals Who Might Be First Adversary of 2025
The March fight card that Gaethje is likely referring to is the upcoming UFC 313. At the time of this writing, there is no official bout order for the event, but considering Justin Gaethje’s reputation as a previous interim lightweight and BMF title holder, he will undoubtedly be slotted on the main card. Against who the Arizona native will be pitted against in his return bout is still unclear, but Gaethje believes that his opponent will be fellow fan-favorite striker Dan Hooker.
“Coming off a knockout, I’m really excited to get back to training,” Justin Gaethje continued. “When you take a loss like that and you’re as competitive as we are, then it lights a fire under your ass, and we’re getting back to work. …So, we’re back to it, back in the swing of things and back getting ready for a specific day, a specific opponent. I think it’s going to be Dan Hooker, but you know, with the UFC, things can always change.”
Hooker On a Roll Of Late Going Into Possible Fight vs. Justin Gaethje
For a moment in time, Hooker appeared to be on the decline in his UFC career. From June 2020 to March 2022, “The Hangman” went just 1-4 in five bouts, losing to such names like Dustin Poirier, Michael Chandler, Islam Makhachev, and Arnold Allen. Versus the latter, he dropped down to the featherweight class for the first time since 2016, resulting in a quick first round knockout for the Englishman.
Moving back up to lightweight in his next fight, Hooker trounced Claudio Puelles with a devastating second round TKO after grounding the Peruvian with a body kick. He then would win his next two contests in a row against some of the top contenders in the 155-lb division, first defeating Jalin Turner at UFC 290, and then Mateusz Gamrot last August in UFC 305.
