This week we got some devastating news regarding UFC 295 next week. The GOAT vs GOAT matchup was being put on hold as heavyweight champion Jon Jones (27-1, 1 NC) tore his pec off the bone and his upcoming heavyweight title fight against Stipe Miocic (20-4) was being put on hold.
In the announcement, Dana White announced that Sergei Pavlovich (18-1) and Tom Aspinall (13-3) would now be fighting for the interim heavyweight title next week. Pavlovich was already preparing to be the backup fighter for the event and Aspinall is stepping in on short notice to take the title fight.
Many fans were wondering, ‘What does this mean for Stipe Miocic?’ and last night we got our answer. After the latest PowerSlap event, Dana White took to the press room for a press conference. The first questions that came up were about the fallout of the Jon Jones – Stipe Miocic cancellation.
UFC rebooking the fight
When asked if he thought about putting Stipe Miocic in an interim title fight, the UFC President said it would be disrespectful to Miocic to offer that. White pointed to the fact that this fight with Jones is a legacy matchup for both men. The greatest of all time versus the greatest heavyweight of all time.
White said it wasn’t even a consideration in terms of rebooking Miocic. In reality, the UFC doesn’t want to risk losing the narrative behind this fight and losing a fight of this magnitude. They know what they have here and they are not about to risk it with Miocic taking on one of these killers competing for the interim title.
Jon Jones per White is wanting to get the surgery done ASAP and he wants to start rehab as soon as possible. The heavyweight champion was emotionally devastated by the injury and he just wants to get healthy so he can get this fight with Miocic back on the books. Depending on Jones’ recovery, my guess is that the early target for this fight could be International Fight Week next July. If that’s too soon, the UFC might look at MSG once again a year from now.