One of the most anticipated fights on UFC 285 is canceled.
First reported by Mike Heck of MMA Fighting, Dan Hooker has withdrawn from his fight against Jalin Turner after suffering a broken hand in training. The ‘Hangman’ confirmed the report with a photo of his hand in a cast.
“Well f—k,” tweeted Hooker.
Hooker returned to the win column with a second-round TKO of Claudio Puelles at UFC 281 this past November. Prior to that, the City Kickboxing product struggled, going 1-4 in five fights. However, his losses came against top competition, including Dustin Poirier, Michael Chandler and reigning UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev.
After a loss to Matt Frevola nearly four years ago, Turner has rattled off five wins. In his most recent appearance, the ‘Tarantula’ earned his first ‘Performance of the Night’ bonus with a first-round submission of Brad Riddell at UFC 276 this past July.
At this time, the UFC is searching for a replacement for Turner.
UFC 285 goes down on Sat., March 4, at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Headlining the upcoming pay-per-view event is a heavyweight championship fight between Jon Jones and Ciryl Gane. Stay tuned to Bloody Elbow for more updates to the event as they become available in the coming weeks.
About the author: Kristen King is a writer for Bloody Elbow. She has covered combat sports since 2016. (full bio)