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- What: UFC 313 Co-Main Event
- Who: Justin Gaethje Vs. Dan Hooker
- Date: Saturday, March 8, 2025
- Location: T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, NV
- Time: Early Prelims (6:00 p.m. ET), Prelims (8:00 p.m. ET), Pay-Per-View Card (10:00 p.m. ET)
- How to Watch: Early Prelims (ESPN+) Prelims (ESPN), Main Card (ESPN+ PPV)
The next pay-per-view card on the UFC schedule, UFC 313, takes place on Saturday, March 8, from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. A title fight headlines the fight card. In that contest, UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira puts his belt on the line against Magomed Ankalaev. In the UFC 313 co-main event slot, No. 3 ranked lightweight Justin Gaethje faces the No. 6 ranked Dan Hooker in a fight that is sure to be action-packed. Before we look at the betting breakdown for the UFC 313 co-main event, here is some information on Gaethje and Hooker.
Justin Gaethje (25-5) is one of the most exciting fighters in the UFC. Over his career with the promotion, Gaethje has earned 13 fight-night bonuses in 13 UFC fights. Gaethje lost his “BMF” title in his most recent fight, losing to Max Holloway via knockout at UFC 300.
Dan Hooker (24-12) is looking for his first four-fight winning streak since 2017-18 heading into UFC 313. Hooker, who has been with the UFC since 2014, has six fight-night bonuses. He is coming off a decision win over Mateusz Gamrot at UFC 305.
Before we look at the best bets for Gaethje vs. Hooker on the UFC 313 PPV card, check out the best UFC betting sites and our betting picks for the UFC 313 main event.
UFC 313 Co-Main Event: Justin Gaethje Vs. Dan Hooker betting picks
| Fighters |  |  |  |
| Justin Gaethje | -170 | -170 | -156 |
| Dan Hooker | +145 | +145 | +122 |
UFC 313 Co-Main Event: Justin Gaethje betting breakdown
Justin Gaethje is a fearless fighter with 13 fight-night bonuses to his name in 13 UFC fights. Gaethje is an iron-chinned scrapper with some of the best leg kicks in the game. Over the past few years, the 36-year-old has morphed from a brawler into a more mature and measured fighter. Gone are the days of standing in the center of the cage and winging punches. Yes, the ex-interim UFC champ can summon that part of himself if the fight requires it, but he is calmer these days, and tends to use his striking to create openings rather than doing so via brute force and output. The former BMF champ has also improved his footwork, making him a more elusive fighter.
Gaethje ranks fifth among active UFC lightweights in significant strikes landed per minute with 6.78. His striking accuracy is the second-best in the division at 59.2 percent. However, Gaethje gets hit a lot, absorbing 7.46 significant strikes per minute with a defensive rate of 52 percent. Despite the number of strikes he absorbs, Gaethje has only been knocked down three times in his UFC career. Gaethje averages 0.11 takedowns per 15 minutes with a takedown success rate of 25 percent. Gaethje’s takedown defense is 75 percent, and he has yet to have a submission victory under the UFC banner.
Gaethje has 20 career knockout victories.
UFC 313 Co-Main Event: Dan Hooker betting breakdown
Dan Hooker is experiencing a resurgence of sorts as of late. Hooker went 1-4 between June 2020 and March 2022 with three stoppage losses. However, since November 2022, Hooker is 3-0 with one knockout victory and two decision wins. However, his level of competition in his three wins (Claudio Puelles, Jalin Turner, and Mateusz Gamrot) pales in comparison to the four fighters he lost to during his rough patch (Dustin Poirier, Michael Chandler, Islam Makhachev, and Arnold Allen). This matchup gives Hooker a chance to show that he still belongs among the elite of the division.
Hooker is a rangy kickboxer who has good technical striking skills. However, Hooker can be drawn into a brawl, and that’s a worry in this fight, especially with how Hooker has been talking in the lead-up to UFC 313. He has mentioned that he expects this fight will result in both fighters heading to the hospital after its conclusion, which makes me worry that he is going to throw his technical skills to the wind in an effort to entertain the fans at UFC 313 and score a knockout over Gaethje, which is not unheard of, but is rare.
Hooker’s best bet is to use his height and reach advantage to keep Gaethje at range, but I fear that he will be drawn into a striking war against one of the toughest fighters in the UFC in Gaethje.
Hooker lands 5.03 significant strikes per minute with an accuracy of 48 percent. He absorbs 4.72 significant strikes per minute with a defense of 51 percent. Hooker averages 0.73 takedowns per 15 minutes with a success rate of 34 percent. His takedown defense is 78 percent.
Hooker has 11 career knockout wins.
Best Bets: UFC 313 co-main event – Justin Gaethje Vs. Dan Hooker
I expect this fight to pick up at least one fight-night bonus award at UFC 313. I also expect this bout to stay on the feet for as long as it lasts, which won’t be the distance.
The betting pick is for Justin Gaethje to beat Dan Hooker by knockout. As for prop bets, look for the fight not to go the distance and for a knockout, TKO or doctor stoppage win.
See below the top offshore sportsbooks where you can wager online and choose the best one for you:
Best Betting Sites 