UFC president Dana White made a public news update late last night on his social media platforms to inform fight fans that the main event of UFC 295 between Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic would be canceled. Jones suffered an injury in training that not only forced him out of the fight but will require surgery. During a wrestling drill, Jones was seen dropping to a knee and grabbing at his shoulder/chest area. It was confirmed that Jones tore his Pectoral muscle and will need at least 8 months to make a full recovery. Jones is 36 years old and just captured the UFC Heavyweight Championship in his first fight in the division.
While Jones’s injury is a massive blow to the UFC 295 fight card, the promotion deserves credit for being flexible enough to add an interim Heavyweight title fight in Jones’s absence. England’s Tom Aspinall will look to become the first Heavyweight champion in his country’s history when he takes on Russian knockout artist Sergei Pavlovich.
Jones Future and Interim Title Fight
While Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones recovers from his devastating injury, a new champion will be crowned in the division. When Jones returns he will more than likely not fight Stipe Miocic and will face the winner of UFC 295’s Co-Main event. Tom Aspinall is 5-1 in the UFC with his only loss coming due to a freak injury that resulted in the prospect blowing out his ACL. In Aspinall’s 13 professional wins, he has won by stoppage in all of them. Aspinall will be facing another impressive finisher in Russia’s Pavlovich. Six straight first-round knockouts propelled Pavlovich into this title opportunity. Pavlovich tied Hall of Famer Don Fry for the UFC’s longest first-round knockout streak.
When Jones returns there will be questions surrounding how much this injury has taken a toll on his body. Jones is no longer the 23-year-old kid who became the youngest champion in UFC history. Jones has relied heavily on his grappling in recent years and, this injury may hinder him athletically once he returns. If Jones does not return against Miocic, the winner of Aspinall and Pavlovich would be an even tougher test.
UFC 295 is still a great card. The new main event will feature a vacant Light Heavyweight title fight between Jiri Prochazka and Alex Pereria. The event will take place at Madison Square Garden. This unfortunate news surrounding Jon Jones was the worst-case scenario for the UFC and fight fans. UFC 295 will take place on November 11th only on ESPN+.
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