Two-time UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic was left dejected by the news that Jon Jones was out of their UFC 295 headliner next month.
After more than two years on the shelf, Miocic was scheduled to step inside the Octagon on November 11 when the promotion returns to the world’s most famous arena, Madison Square Garden. Meeting him in the cage was to be current heavyweight king Jon ‘Bones’ Jones, but a pectoral tear suffered while sparring has forced Jones to withdraw from the contest.
It was a devastating blow for Miocic who shared some insight into how everything went down in a video on his OnlyFans.
“How did I feel when I woke up today? Like I got kicked in the nuts,” Miocic said. “In the morning, I woke up to my phone vibrating. It was dark, I had my son on top of me, trying to move and get my phone. I finally got my phone and had a text message from my manager saying my fight was off. I couldn’t sleep the rest of the night. I was supposed to fight Jon Jones in about two weeks in New York, UFC 295, Madison Square Garden.
“I was pretty excited about that. Actually really excited. I guess he tore something in his chest. Unfortunately that happens. It’s part of the game. Hopefully he gets better and feels better, but what happens now. Do I fight somebody else? I don’t know.”
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🔗: https://t.co/NKGaW5tgEU pic.twitter.com/2TE1kXI4JL
— Stipe Miocic (@stipemiocic) October 27, 2023
Stipe Miocic Confirms He Was Never Asked to Fight Another Opponent at UFC 295
Instead of securing a replacement opponent for Miocic, the UFC opted to remove both fighters from the event and instead book an interim heavyweight title fight between top-ten contenders Sergei Pavlovich and Tom Aspinall. The pair will square off in the co-main event spot while the fight between Jiri Prochazka and Alex Pereira for the vacant light heavyweight championship will be promoted to the main event.
“I don’t know why I didn’t get picked, which is fine,” Miocic said. “I understand they have a direction they want to go. I’m okay with that. Every guy in the division is tough. I definitely want to fight the biggest fish, which is Jon Jones. It wasn’t my choice, it was theirs. Listen, everything happens for a reason. The fight being canceled, it sucks. No question about it. Unfortunately, that’s just the game we’re in. It happens.
“Like I said, I hope he’s okay. You want to be the best, you’ve got to beat the best. I want that belt back. It’s my belt. It’s going to happen.”
UFC CEO Dana White has confirmed that they will look to reschedule Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic for 2024. The winner of that bout would then face the winner of Pavlovich/Aspinall to unify the heavyweight championship.
Jones is expected to undergo surgery on Friday (October 27) and could be out for upwards of eight months.
Transcription by MMA Fighting
