The highly-anticipated Jon Jones vs Stipe Miocic heavyweight championship bout set for next month in New York has been called off due to an injury. Jones suffered a torn pectoral tendon off the bone during training. He would now require surgery and a recovery period that might last eight months, if not more.
Due to this latest update, the Jones vs. Miocic match has been removed from the main event of UFC 295 on November 11 at Madison Square Garden.
UFC President Dana White confirmed that Sergei Pavlovich and Tom Aspinall will now compete for the interim heavyweight title in place of Jones. Consequently, the light heavyweight title fight between Jiri Prochazka and Alex Pereira has been promoted to the main event of the event.
Jones returned to the UFC in March after a three-year hiatus and moved up to the heavyweight division. It did not take long for him to become champion after defeating Ciryl Gane to claim the vacant championship title.
Following this victory, Jones expressed his desire to fight Miocic, whom he regards as one of the greatest heavyweights in UFC history and a former champion. A date for this fight was scheduled at Madison Square Garden. The fight would have been his first title defence.
Jones boasts an impressive record, including a record 14 title fight victories and an 18-match unbeaten streak, making him one of the most dominant fighters in the UFC with a 26-1 record. However, he has faced several controversies, including suspensions for a failed drug test in 2016 and a positive drug test in 2017.
Miocic is a former two-time heavyweight champion who last fought at UFC 260 in March 2021, where he lost the belt to Francis Ngannou. The anticipated clash between Jones and Miocic will have to wait until Jones has fully recovered. And that also depends on if there is no other update, especially on Miocic’s side. Otherwise we could see the match happen in 2025.
For now, we can only wish Jones speedy recovery as we fix our attention on the other spectacular matches scheduled for UFC 295.
Leon Osamor
