By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
One of the most highly-anticipated heavyweight showdowns in the history of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) will no longer take place.
During a major announcement made by Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) president Dana White last October 25, 2023, Jon Jones, the current heavyweight champion, will be out in the main event after suffering a torn pectoral muscle during his last training phase in preparation for his first title defense against Stipe Miocic.
The shocking news was made official when White uploaded a video on his social media accounts both on X and Instagram.
“Jon Jones was training last night, got injured. He was wrestling, and he tore the tendon that connects your pec to the bone. Off the bone,” said White.
The UFC head honcho added that Jones will most likely be out for eight months and will be undergoing a major operation to fix his torn pectoral muscle.
Jones boosted his Greatest of All Time (GOAT) case after stunning the heavyweight division in his debut when he swiftly took out Ciryl Gane last March to clinch the title.
Months after collecting another championship in a different weight class, Miocic, the former king of the heavyweight division, stepped in to challenge him for all the marbles.
To make the event push through, White scrapped off the Jones-Miocic main event and will be replaced by an interim heavyweight match between Tom Aspinall and Sergei Pavlovich.
Former middleweight champion Alex Pereira will be heading back to the octagon for the co-main event to square off against JiYi Prochazka for the vacant light heavyweight belt.
