Hooker fills in vs. Makhachev at UFC 267
Dan Hooker has replaced the injured Rafael dos Anjos and will meet Islam Makhachev in a lightweight bout at UFC 267 on Oct. 30, UFC president Dana White told ESPN's Brett Okamoto.
Hooker competed in the Octagon just last weekend, picking up a unanimous decision victory over Nasrat Haqparast on the UFC 266 preliminary card. Both he and Haqparast faced visa issues leading up to the event, and their fight was seemingly in jeopardy. Hooker arrived in Las Vegas from New Zealand less than 24 hours before the Friday morning weigh-ins, yet both fighters made weight.
Hooker snapped a two-fight skid - consisting of losses to Dustin Poirier and Michael Chandler - and earned his first win since edging Paul Felder in a "Fight of the Year" candidate in February 2020.
"The Hangman" will look to return to the division's top five with a triumph over Makhachev, a teammate of former lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov and one of the rising stars in the 155-pound division. Makhachev is riding an impressive eight-fight win streak, most recently submitting Thiago Moises in his first UFC main event in July.
Makhachev is ranked No. 5, with Hooker just below at No. 6.
Dos Anjos had to withdraw from the Makhachev fight - which has now been canceled three times - after undergoing knee surgery.
UFC 267 will feature a light heavyweight title fight between champion Jan Blachowicz and Glover Teixeira in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Petr Yan and Cory Sandhagen are slated to collide in the co-main event for the interim bantamweight belt.