One of the most anticipated fights in UFC history will not be taking place in 2023, per UFC CEO Dana White. UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones will no longer defend the title against former champion Stipe Miocic at UFC 295 in New York City on November 11.
Early Wednesday morning, White announced a shift in the card taking place within Madison Square Garden. While training, Jones suffered a torn pectoral tendon off the bone in his muscle that will sideline the champion for about eight months.
The new main event will be an already-planned light heavyweight title fight between Jiri Prochaza and Alex Pereira.
As far as what is next for the UFC heavyweight title, top contenders Sergei Pavlovich and Tom Aspinall face off for the interim belt. Pavlovich is on a six-fight win streak after losing his UFC debut in 2018.
The FNG heavyweight champion beat contender Curtis Blaydes in his last fight in April. Aspinall joined the UFC in 2020 and is 6-1 with the promotion. After suffering a knee injury against Blaydes in July 2022, the Brit returned a year later and beat Marcin Tybura.
WATCH: UFC 295, exclusively on ESPN+
It is expected the 41-year-old Miocic, not named in White’s announcement, will wait for a fight with Jones.
UFC 295 would have marked the first time Jones, born in New York, would have fought in his home state while with the organization.
“Bones” took about three years off to prepare for a move to heavyweight. The light heavyweight champion in 2020 was looking for a fight against Francis Ngannou, but negotiations broke down, and he vacated the belt to focus on other fights in the heavyweight division.
What’s next for Jon Jones?
Jones will be out for eight months, per White. Given the timeline, and if all goes well in recovery, he would reportedly be ready to fight by International Fight Week in July.
If he faces and beats Miocic in July, the next logical step for Jones would be to face the winner of Pavlovich vs. Aspinall. However, Jones has indicated he would retire after facing Miocic, one of the most successful heavyweight fighters in UFC history. That comes after recently signing an eight-fight deal with the UFC.
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“I think the Stipe fight will be plenty for me,” Jones told Fox Sports Australia via CBS Sports. “I feel like I don’t have too much to prove after beating Stipe Miocic. I’ve been in the game for a long time. In fighter years, I’m an old guy.
“I’ve been training a long time and been in the game a long time. Got some small injuries. I just really want to be around. I want to be around for my family, be around for my kids. I want to be able to play with my kids, and have a good head on my shoulders… I could see it coming to an end really soon, and I’m happy with that. I’m really proud of my career.”
In his career, Jones is 25-1 with one no-contest, the lone loss a controversial DQ finish against Matt Hamill. Failed drug tests and the law have been the only things to slow him down.
What’s next for Stipe Miocic?
Miocic is a former two-time heavyweight champion but last fought in March 2021, losing against Ngannou via knockout. That was his first fight in a year.
Before that, he had only fought three times since the end of 2018, completing a trilogy against Daniel Cormier. The firefighter has dealt with eye injuries and his other job while out of the octagon.
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He might have had an opportunity to fight for gold against either Pavlovich (ranked second) or Aspinall (ranked fourth) but appeared to forgo a title fight at The Garden to face Jones.
By the time of International Fight Week, Miocic will almost be 42 and will have not fought for over three years. Regarding retirement, Miocic, a pro since 2010, told Mike Heck of MMA Fighting: “I’ve thought about [retiring] after my first UFC fight. Right now I’m just focused on November 11. That’s all I care about. And then, once I’m done, I’ll figure it out.”
