"Every month that passes, he's getting older" - Anthony Smith "gutted" for friend Stipe Miocic after UFC 295 fight cancellation

UFC light heavyweight Anthony Smith has admitted that he's "gutted" his friend Stipe Miocic will no longer be facing Jon Jones at UFC 295.

Jones vs. Miocic was announced back in July after months of build-up between the two fighters. 'Bones' had initially moved up to heavyweight to challenge Francis Ngannou, but regularly stated he wanted to face Miocic as he believes the former two-time champion is the heavyweight GOAT.

Unfortunately for fans, Dana White dropped the bombshell earlier this week that Jones vs. Miocic has been put on the backburner indefinitely. The heavyweight champion suffered a torn pectoral muscle during a wrestling practice session and requires immediate surgery that will have him out of action for at least eight months.

Watch Dana White's announcement here:

Miocic has been removed from the card instead of being offered a different fight, and the UFC announced Sergei Pavlovich vs. Tom Aspinall for the interim heavyweight title as a replacement fight.

Anthony Smith has since reacted to the news on the latest episode of the Believe You Me podcast. According to 'Lionheart', it's been tough seeing what's happened with his friend Stipe Miocic:

"It sucks, I'm disappointed because I really wanted to see that fight... I'm gutted for my friend Stipe. Every month that passes, he's getting older... Stipe's probably not growing [during the waiting period], he's just maintaining."

Catch Smith's comments here (2:00):

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Dana White explains why Stipe Miocic wasn't offered interim heavyweight title bout

Dana White recently clarified his reasons for not offering Stipe Miocic the chance to fight for the interim heavyweight title.

Miocic won't feature at UFC 295 and will wait to face Jon Jones once the champion has recovered. The decision to remove Miocic off the card entirely didn't go over well with some fans, as heavyweight Sergei Pavlovich was waiting in the wings as the back-up fighter.

At a recent Power Slap press conference, Dana White was asked why Stipe Miocic didn't instead fight Pavlovic. The UFC CEO then insisted that it would have been disrespectful to offer Miocic any fight other than Jones:

"You have the greatest heavyweight of all time versus the greatest mixed martial artist of all time. This is a legacy fight for both of those guys. I mean, to even call Stipe and ask Stipe to fight for an interim title is, you know, complete disrespect."

Catch White's comments here: