Alkass Digital
One of the most anticipated UFC fights in recent memory is no longer happening.
Heavyweight champion Jon Jones is out of his UFC 295 title fight against all-time great Stipe Miocic after he suffered a torn pectoral muscle in training that will sideline him for eight months, UFC CEO Dana White announced late Tuesday night. White’s announcement on social media included video of the incident.
With Jones (27-1 MMA, 21-1 UFC) out, Miocic (20-4 MMA, 14-4 UFC) will not remain on the card for undisclosed reasons. As a result, top contenders Sergei Pavlovich and Tom Aspinall will compete for the interim championship in the Nov. 11 co-main event at Madison Square Garden in New York.
The vacant light heavyweight title fight between Jiri Prochazka and Alex Pereira has been elevated to headline UFC 295.
Pavlovich (18-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC) rides a six-fight winning streak into the matchup. Since a loss to Alistair Overeem in his UFC debut, Pavlovich has rattled off wins over Marcelo Golm, Maurice Greene, Shamil Abdurakhimov, Derrick Lewis, Tai Tuivasa, and Curtis Blaydes. All six wins were first-round knockouts.
Aspinall (13-3 MMA, 6-1 UFC) bounced back from a devastating 2022 knee injury when he finished Marcin Tybura with strikes in 73 seconds this past July. The win maintained his 100 percent promotional finishing rate in victories.
With the changes, the UFC 295 lineup includes:
Alex Pereira vs. Jiri Prochazka – for vacant light heavyweight title
Sergei Pavlovich vs. Tom Aspinall – for interim heavyweight title
Jessica Andrade vs. Mackenzie Dern
Diego Lopes vs. Pat Sabatini
Matt Frevola vs. Benoit Saint Denis
Kevin Borjas vs. Joshua Van
Stephen Erceg vs. Matt Schnell
Loopy Godinez vs. Tabatha Ricci
Jared Gordon vs. Mark Madsen
Nurullo Aliev vs. Mateusz Rebecki
Viacheslav Borshchev vs. Nazim Sadykhov
Dennis Buzukja vs. Jamall Emmers
John Castaneda vs. Kyung Ho Kang