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Stipe Miocic was set to return to the octagon at UFC 295, scheduled for November 11 at Madison Square Garden in New York City. He was slated to face UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones.
However, there was a surprising twist in the story when UFC CEO Dana White announced that Jones had been forced to withdraw from the title fight due to a torn pectoral muscle sustained during training. The injury will keep him sidelined for eight months. Consequently, Miocic will no longer be part of the event for undisclosed reasons.
As a result, top heavyweight contenders Sergei Pavlovich and Tom Aspinall are set to vie for the interim championship in the co-main event of UFC 295.
Former UFC fighter Dan Hardy recently initiated a lively conversation among the MMA community on X (formerly Twitter) in response to the surprising developments, pondering whether fans will ever see Stipe Miocic return to the octagon.
Check out Hardy's post below:
UFC commentator Jon Anik responded:
"I do. That's one powerful (last) paycheck. But this has gotta sting. He was 38 when last he fought. Now he'll likely be 42 when Jones is ready."
One fan wrote:
"No. Jones will fight the winner of the interim belt. Stipe will retire"
Another wrote:
"I think they both might be done"
Check out some more reactions below:
"I don’t think so. I would have thought that Stipe Miocic would be competing for the interm title if that were the case. His absence from the card seems quite telling."
"I wonder why Miocic isn't fighting for the interim belt"
"Dont think we will see Jones or Stipe fight again tbh"
The wait for Stipe Miocic: How long has the former champ been out of the octagon?
Stipe Miocic was on the verge of returning to the octagon after losing the UFC heavyweight championship to Francis Ngannou at UFC 260 in March 2021.
In an interview with MMA Junkie Radio earlier this month, the 41-year-old Ohio native revealed what influenced his decision to accept the fight against Jones. He said he was dissatisfied with the outcome of his previous match:
"There's a lot of reasons. One, I want to fight the best. I'm a competitor. I love to compete, and I love fighting. I'm still having fun. Two, my last fight didn't go as well as I wanted it to. I'm ready to bounce back and get that win."
The former two-time UFC heavyweight champion holds the record for the most consecutive successful title defenses during his title reign, standing at three. He has a career MMA record of 20 wins, with 15 victories via KO/TKO.
