Chris Graythen/Getty ImagesJon Jones issued an apology to Stipe Miocic on Thursday after an injury forced him to pull out of their scheduled fight at UFC 295 on Nov. 11.
In a video posted on Instagram (h/t ESPN's Marc Raimondi), Jones apologized to Miocic and his team, and added: "Obviously, a very sad situation, very upset. But I've been through a lot of things in life. Injuries is a part of being an athlete."
Jones had been scheduled to defend the UFC heavyweight title against Miocic, but he suffered a torn pectoral tendon in training, and said he planned to undergo surgery Friday.
While Jones now faces a long road to recovery and Miocic is off the UFC 295 card as well, Jones insisted that he will work toward making the fight against Miocic happen down the line, saying: "The goal is to get surgery [Friday] and get back to work as soon as possible. I guess it'll be Stipe and I at a later date. That's my plan. It'll be surgery and physical therapy for me for the next several months. But I'm committed. My head is high."
The 36-year-old Jones was almost exclusively a light heavyweight over the first 28 fights of his career, posting a near-perfect record of 26-1 with one no contest.
After dominating the division and holding the UFC light heavyweight title twice, he decided to transition to heavyweight and enjoyed instant success.
In his first fight at heavyweight, Jones beat Cyril Gane for the UFC heavyweight title at UFC 285 earlier this year, winning the championship vacated by Francis Ngannou when he left UFC and signed with PFL.
While Jones is arguably the most dominant fighter in UFC history, Miocic is one of the most successful heavyweights, holding the UFC record for wins in heavyweight title fights.
The 41-year-old Miocic is a two-time UFC heavyweight champion with a career record of 20-4. He has not fought since UFC 260 in March 2021 where he dropped the heavyweight title to Ngannou.
Per Raimondi, Miocic said, "I want that belt back," in reference to the UFC heavyweight title, before adding, "It's my belt. It's going to happen."
With Jones vs. Miocic off for UFC 295, Sergei Pavlovich vs. Tom Aspinall has been included as an interim UFC heavyweight title fight.
While Miocic was unsure why he was not included in the bout, UFC president Dana White said it would have been an "insult" to Miocic to put him in the fight given his career accomplishments.
The light heavyweight fight between Alex Pereira and Jiří Procházka has been elevated to main event status for UFC 295 at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
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