Why did Dan Hooker pull out of Bobby Green fight? The Kiwi lightweight blames no one but himself

Dan Hooker had to withdraw from his scheduled five-round co-main event lightweight bout against Bobby Green at UFC Austin after breaking his arm while sparring.

The UFC Fight Night is set for December 2 at the Moody Center in Austin, Texas, featuring a main event lightweight matchup between Beneil Dariush and Arman Tsarukyan.

This marks the second occasion in 2023 that an injury has led to Dan Hooker's withdrawal from a fight. Originally scheduled to face Jalin Turner at UFC 285 in March, a broken hand prevented him from participating. Later in July at UFC 290, 'The Hangman' faced Turner, breaking his right arm in the first round but still managing to secure a thrilling split-decision victory, his second win in a row.

During a recent interview with Submission Radio, Dan Hooker stated that he injured the same arm from his fight with Turner and acknowledged that he should have allowed himself more recovery time before making a comeback:

"In sparring yesterday, copped a bit of a kick. Got sent to an X-ray. She’s custard… Yeah, it just broke in the same place, and it kind of is what it is. I took a risk. I obviously came back a little quicker than … Yeah, like, it’s all on me. I rushed to come back. I wanted to fight. I knew the risk of coming back that quickly, and we rolled the dice and we come up snake eyes, baby."

He added:

"Bro, one of those things. I blocked a thousand kicks in the last couple of months and just one hit on the right spot and it just, yeah. It is what it is."

Check out Hooker's comments below (from 0:28):

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Dan Hooker's withdrawal sparks varied fan reactions

Dan Hooker's withdrawal from his bout against Bobby Green elicited a diverse range of reactions among fans.

One fan wrote:

"Bummer. That was a banger. Luckily this is one of the deepest division in the UFC"

Another wrote:

"Re-broke the broken forearm, gym war?"

Check out some more reactions below:

"Nobody and I mean nobody is surprised"

"Fu*kkkkk that was the one I was looking forward to most"

"Good because he was going to get killed and retired"

"Damn, I was looking forward to that one."

Credits: @mma_orbit, @MMAFighting and @SubmissionRadio on X