Stipe Miocic alleges that he wasn’t provided an option for an alternate bout after Jon Jones, his designated adversary, revoked his participation in UFC 295. Jones, possessing a 27-1 record, was scheduled to safeguard his heavyweight title against Miocic (20-4) during the grand event on Nov. 11 at Madison Square Garden. However, “Bones” withdrew from the card upon tearing a pectoral muscle during a grappling session barely a fortnight prior to the due fight night.
An interim heavyweight title face-off featuring Tom Aspinall and Sergei Pavlovich was announced as the co-main event, supplementing the changed sequence. The original second-tier, a light heavyweight title skirmish between Jiri Prochazka and Alex Pereira, has been promoted up to the primary event slot. While Jones was unable to participate due to his injury, Miocic discovered himself to be excluded for reasons not his own. The ex-heavyweight champion, who has remained inactive since succumbing his title to Francis Ngannou in March 2021, was understandably crestfallen upon receiving the news.
“How did I feel when I woke up today? Like I got kicked in the nuts,” Miocic noted in a video on his OnlyFans account. “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.” Miocic’s possible offer for an interim title skirmish was dismissed by Dana White, citing disrespect to the ex-champion.
Consequently, the UFC CEO aims to reschedule the fight with Jones in the upcoming year. Miocic agreed that his withdrawal from the card wasn’t his decision. However, the 41-year-old expresses no particular reservations regarding this, maintaining that a match-up with Jones remains his main target. “Every guy in the division is tough. I definitely want to fight the biggest fish, which is Jon Jones. The fight being canceled, it sucks. 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,” asserted Miocic.