Stipe Miocic alleges that he was not offered a substitute bout when his scheduled opponent, Jon Jones, withdrew from UFC 295. At the time, Jon Jones was scheduled to defend his heavyweight title against Miocic in the event’s main match at Madison Square Garden on November 11. However, Jones had to drop out due to a pectoral muscle tear he received during a grappling session less than two weeks before the match.
To fill the void, an interim heavyweight title match between Tom Aspinall and Sergei Pavlovich has been added to the card as the co-main event. The original co-main, a light heavyweight title bout between Jiri Prochazka and Alex Pereira, has now been upgraded to the main event spot. Despite Jones pulling out due to his injury, Miocic found himself left out through no fault of his own. The former UFC heavyweight champion, who had been out of the action since his loss to Francis Ngannou in March 2021, was predictably disheartened upon hearing the news.
Miocic detailed his feelings on his OnlyFans account, stating, “How did I feel when I woke up today? Like I got kicked in the nuts.” He shared his distress, explaining how he was notified about the cancellation of his fight and how it affected him. When asked if Miocic had been offered a replacement, UFC CEO Dana White mentioned that an interim title bout offer would be disrespectful to the former champion. Instead, he made plans to reschedule the fight with Jones sometime the next year.
Miocic acknowledged that his removal from the card was not his choice, but he does not seem to take issue with it. In fact, he expressed that a matchup with Jones remains his primary focus. He reflected, “I don’t know why I didn’t get picked, which is fine. I definitely want to fight the biggest fish, which is Jon Jones. It wasn’t my choice, it was theirs.” He concluded, emphasizing his determination to regain the belt and hinting at hope for facing Jones eventually.