Jon Jones UFC 295 fight vs. Stipe Miocic off due to pectoral injury: How big of a blow is this?

April 21, 2024

There’s a new headliner at UFC 295 after Jon Jones suffered an injury during training and is unable to fight Stipe Miocic at the event, UFC CEO Dana White said on social media Tuesday. Here’s what you need to know:

White said Jones tore a pectoral tendon off the bone while wrestling in training Monday night. Jones will need surgery, which should keep him out for around eight months.
Jones was set to defend the UFC heavyweight title against Miocic at UFC 295 on Nov. 11 at Madison Square Garden.
The light heavyweight championship clash between Jiří Procházka and Alex Pereira has been elevated to the event’s headliner, and Miocic will no longer fight at UFC 295.
Organizers added Tom Aspinall and Sergei Pavlovich’s bout for the interim heavyweight title as the co-main event.

How big of a blow is this to UFC 295?

This is a major loss for the card. Jones is the top light heavyweight of all time and arguably the greatest mixed martial artist ever. He moved up weight classes in March and looked impressive in a first-round submission over Ciryl Gane at UFC 285. It was, however, over very fast. We didn’t truly get to see what Jones was capable of at heavyweight in just a few minutes. Fans were hoping Miocic would provide that tough test.

Remember: Miocic is considered the greatest heavyweight ever. He has four title defenses, the most of anyone at that weight class, and possesses wins over the likes of Daniel Cormier (twice), Francis Ngannou, Junior dos Santos, Alistair Overeem and Fabricio Werdum. Miocic hasn’t fought since 2021 so this was supposed to be his big return to remind fans that, at 41, he still has it. The wait will be much longer now. — Greg Rosenstein, MMA writer

What about the new co-main event?

The UFC could find a different opponent for Miocic, but at this stage in his career, he’s not just going to face anyone (especially on short notice). This was a legacy fight and for him, that means taking on Jones. That’s the fight the UFC also wants. I would bet it still happens, just deep into 2024 when Jones recovers from the injury.

White said No. 2 heavyweight Pavlovich will face No. 4 Aspinall in the co-main. Both fighters are technical and move well for guys their size but the big thing to note here is their finishing ability. Pavlovich is 7-1 since arriving in the UFC in 2018 — all seven wins have been first-round finishes including an early stoppage of Curtis Blaydes last April. Aspinall (13-1 with 13 finishes) has never even made it to the third round of a professional fight.

This isn’t Jones-Miocic in terms of stardom, but it may in fact be a better matchup. Expect a banger. — Rosenstein

Backstory

UFC 295 would have featured two of the greatest fighters in UFC history. It also would have marked Miocic’s return to the octagon since he lost the heavyweight championship to Ngannou at UFC 260 in March 2021. Miocic said he agreed to fight Jones because he’s still having fun competing, and the UFC 260 bout didn’t go as well as he hoped.

Jones (27-1-1) returned from a three-year hiatus in March to defeat Gane at UFC 285 and claim the vacant heavyweight title. It was his first fight in the heavyweight division. Jones has not dropped a fight since being disqualified for illegal elbows versus Matt Hamill in December 2009 in a bout he was dominating.

Jones is a former two-time light heavyweight champion. He also boasts 11 light heavyweight title defenses. Miocic (20-4-1) is a former two-time UFC heavyweight champion.

Required reading

(Photo: Chris Graythen / Getty Images)

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