Former UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic was training to fight Jon Jones for the 265-pound strap atop the UFC 295 pay-per-view (PPV) card on Nov. 11 in New York. Instead, Miocic will return to the sidelines for the next eight months (or sooner) while “Bones” recovers from a fight-ending injury.
“How did I feel when I woke up today? Like I got kicked in the nuts,” Miocic said on OnlyFans. “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.”
The promotion made no effort to rebook Miocic … out of respect.
Instead, matchmakers cobbled together the heavyweight contender fight between top-ranked bruisers Sergei Pavlovich and Tom Aspinall. The victor is expected to face the winner of Jones vs. Miocic after that bout takes place at some point in early-to-mid 2024, assuming it happens at all.
“I don’t know why I didn’t get picked, which is fine,” Miocic continued. “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.”
Eventually.
When Jamahal Hill got injured and required surgery, the promotion stripped him of the 205-pound title and booked Jiri Prochazka vs. Alex Pereira for the vacant strap at UFC 295. But it appears UFC CEO Dana White is hellbent on keeping Jones vs. Miocic together for what should be another respectable PPV payday.
This story originally appeared on MMA Mania
