Jon Jones Injured; Pavlovich to Face Aspinall for Interim Heavyweight Title at UFC 295

BREAKING NEWS…………… Sergei Pavlovich vs Tom Aspinall for the Interim Heavyweight Championship. Main Event is Jiri Prochazka vs Alex Pereira. #UFC295 is LIVE at MSG on ESPN+ PPV pic.twitter.com/SaPAwpyHi2

— danawhite (@danawhite) October 25, 2023

There has been a significant change atop the UFC 295 lineup.

Sergei Pavlovich will now square off against Tom Aspinall for the interim heavyweight crown in the new UFC 295 co-main event after reigning champion Jon Jones was forced to withdraw from the card after suffering an injury in training. Jones was supposed to face Stipe Miocic in the original UFC 295 headliner, but it’s currently unclear if Miocic was offered a fight against either Aspinall or Pavlovich.

Meanwhile, the light heavyweight championship clash pitting Jiri Prochazka against Alex Pereira has been elevated to the evening’s new headliner.

The news was announced by UFC CEO Dana White late Tuesday night.

“Jon Jones was training last night, got injured. He was wrestling and tore the tendon that connects your pec to the bone, off the bone,” White said. “Eight months, gonna need surgery. He’s out.”

Pavlovich will take a six-bout winning streak — with all of those victories coming via first-round knockout or technical knockout — into the matchup with Aspinall. In his most recent outing, the 31-year-old Russian defeated Curtis Blyades via first-round TKO at UFC Fight Night 222 on April 22.

Aspinall, meanwhile, made a triumphant return from knee surgery this past July, when he stopped Marcin Tybura in 73 seconds in the main event of UFC Fight Night 224. The 30-year-old Englishman has been victorious in six of his seven Octagon appearances, with his lone setback coming when he injured his knee in the opening stanza against Blaydes at UFC Fight Night 208 in July 2022.

Jones returned from a three-year hiatus at UFC 285, where he claimed the vacant heavyweight strap with a first-round submission of Ciryl Gane. “Bones” had hinted he would retire after facing Miocic, who owns the UFC record for most heavyweight title defenses. If White’s prognosis is correct, Jones wouldn’t be able to return to action until mid-2024 at the earliest.

UFC 295 takes place on Nov. 11 at Madison Square Garden in New York.