Azerbaijani MMA fighter Rafael Fiziyev shared his experience about stepping in to replace Dan Hooker for the upcoming fight against Justin Gaethje on March 8th in Las Vegas.
Idman.biz reports that the 31-year-old "Ataman" revealed that, initially, he was turned down when he offered to replace the injured Hooker.
"When I found out that Dan Hooker was injured and withdrew from the fight against Justin, I immediately told management that I could come out in his place. The next day they told me, 'No, management doesn't want to do your rematch with Gaethje.' I said it was fine. Afterwards I went and bought myself 1 kg of ice cream. And the next day they called me and told me to fly to Vegas," Fiziev said.
New Zealander Hooker was forced to pull out of the fight at UFC 313 due to an injury, and Fiziev quickly agreed to step in. Fiziev previously fought Gaethje in 2022, where he lost to the American fighter.
Idman.biz
