Jon Jones will no longer be defending his heavyweight title in UFC 295 due to a pectoral injury, resulting in a vacant light heavyweight championship bout as the main event.
Jon Jones has been forced to withdraw from UFC 295, according to an announcement made by UFC CEO Dana White. The heavyweight champion has suffered a pectoral injury, preventing him from defending his title against Stipe Miocic in the scheduled main event at Madison Square Garden on November 11. This news comes as a major blow to the UFC’s visit to New York, leaving the event’s headline fight as a vacant light heavyweight championship bout between Jiri Prochazka and Alex Pereira. However, fans can still look forward to a heavyweight title bout between Sergei Pavlovich and Tom Aspinall for an interim championship.
The MMA community wasted no time in reacting to this unexpected development. Featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski, who recently suffered a knockout loss to Islam Makhachev at UFC 294, humorously expressed his willingness to step in as a replacement for another big fight on short notice. It seems the absence of Jon Jones has raised questions and confusion among fighters and fans, with some wondering why Stipe Miocic wasn’t included in the interim title bout against one of the other two fighters.
Chael Sonnen, a former fighter, took the opportunity to taunt Jon Jones on Twitter, claiming that he hasn’t been the same since Sonnen submitted him with a “Toe Breaker.” Others expressed their opinions on the situation, speculating about Jones’ potential comeback after an 8-month absence and not being surprised by Miocic’s exclusion from the interim title fight. Although details regarding Jon Jones’ injury and recovery are yet to be released, the MMA community remains engaged and eager for updates.
Note: The original text included social media reactions, but they have been excluded from this rewrite.