Fiziev was one of the first lightweights to offer his services as a replacement, along with Renato Moicano and Mateusz Gamrot, and the Azerbaijani got the nod. He will fight Gaethje two years after losing a narrow decision to the American in London.

The likes of Rafael Fiziev, Renato Moicano and Mateusz Gamrot offered to step in and replace Hooker. If it were up to Cormier, he’d like to see Gaethje fight Moicano, who’s coming off a short-notice title loss to Islam Makhachev at UFC 311. Cormier says history proves that Moicano (20-6-1 MMA, 12-6 UFC) is the right man for the job.