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.
BREAKING NEWS…………… Sergei Pavlovich vs Tom Aspinall for the Interim Heavyweight Championship. Main Event is Jiri Prochazka vs Alex Pereira. #UFC295 is LIVE at MSG on ESPN+ PPV pic.twitter.com/SaPAwpyHi2
— danawhite (@danawhite) October 25, 2023
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
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 295.
