Tag: UFC 295

Spinning Back Clique LIVE: Ngannou shocks boxing world in loss to Tyson Fury, Jon Jones forces UFC 295 overhaul, more

Our “Spinning Back Clique” crew discusses Francis Ngannou’s loss to Tyson Fury and its impact, looks ahead to a reshuffled UFC 295 and more.

Our “Spinning Back Clique” panel discusses Francis Ngannou’s loss to Tyson Fury and its impact on boxing and MMA, looks ahead to the reshuffled UFC 295 and more.

Check out this week’s “Spinning Back Clique,” MMA Junkie’s weekly live show that takes a spin through the biggest topics in mixed martial arts.

This week’s panel of Brian “Goze” Garcia, Mike Bohn and Danny Segura will join host “Gorgeous” George Garcia live at noon ET (9 a.m. PT) to discuss and debate:

  • [autotag]Tyson Fury[/autotag] escaped [autotag]Francis Ngannou[/autotag]’s boxing debut with a split decision win, but he also was knocked down by the former UFC heavyweight champ, was cut, and generally didn’t look like the kind of fighter regarded as the best heavyweight boxer in the world. But this was all about how good Ngannou looked, and we’ll break down the performance.
  • Ngannou left the UFC while still heavyweight champion in a contract dispute and signed with the PFL. He’s expected to return to MMA under that banner in 2024 – but his better-than-expected boxing debut against Fury has most people jonesing to see him box next instead of have a cagefight. What do we think his best option is?
  • Even though [autotag]Dana White[/autotag] said Ngannou had an offer to be the highest paid UFC heavyweight of all time, he left the promotion and signed with the PFL – a promotion that gave him the OK to also box, which was a sticking point on the UFC side – for a bunch of money, plus stake in the company as an international executive. His fight with Fury was for a reported $10 million guaranteed, plus pay-per-view backend. And in the meantime, while he was off finding plenty of success and newfound sports stardom outside MMA, his former home’s new heavyweight champion, [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag], had to pull out of next week’s UFC 295 at Madison Square Garden with an injury. With Ngannou’s success, and the near-term mess at heavyweight in the UFC, is the UFC left with egg on its face?
  • Ngannou was the “Baddest Man on the Planet” when he was the UFC’s heavyweight champion. He left the UFC, and generally speaking that title hasn’t been bestowed on MMA fighters outside the UFC. That means current heavyweight champ Jon Jones can lay claim to that moniker. But so, too, can Tyson Fury, the WBC’s heavyweight boxing champion … whom Ngannou knocked down Saturday. So does the math work out that Ngannou has that combat sports bad man title now?
  • Jon Jones had to pull out of the UFC 295 main event heavyweight title fight against ex-champ Stipe Miocic with an injury that was caught on camera. Instead of putting Miocic in an interim title fight that Dana White said would be insulting to him, Sergei Pavlovich faces Tom Aspinall for an interim belt. The winner then will wait for Jones to return from his injury, which is expected to be at least eight months. Did the UFC make the right moves with all this madness only a couple weeks before one of its annual tentpole events?
  • … and much more.

MMA Junkie Radio #3408: Francis Ngannou coach Eric Nicksick on Tyson Fury fight, Khamzat Chimaev, Stipe Miocic and more

Check out the latest episode of MMA Junkie Radio with “Gorgeous” George and “Goze” right here.


Monday’s edition of MMA Junkie Radio with “Gorgeous” George and “Goze” is here.

On Episode 3,408, the fellas welcome in Eric Nicksick, Francis Ngannou’s head coach at Xtreme Couture in Las Vegas, to talk about his fighter’s close loss to Tyson Fury in his boxing debut. Plus, they discuss Khamzat Chimaev’s injury, the UFC 295 upheaval and much more. Tune in!

Stipe Miocic: Jon Jones UFC 295 fight cancellation felt like getting ‘kicked in the nuts’; wasn’t offered interim title

Stipe Miocic opens up about the cancellation of his fight against Jon Jones at UFC 295 in New York.

[autotag]Stipe Miocic[/autotag] opened up about missing out on arguably his biggest career fight to this day.

The former UFC heavyweight champion was disappointed to see his title fight with Jon Jones fall through, just a couple of weeks away from the event. Jones (27-1 MMA, 21-1 UFC) and Miocic (20-4 MMA, 14-4 UFC) were supposed to headline UFC 295 at Madison Square Garden in New York on Nov. 11 – a card that celebrates the UFC’s 30th anniversary. Unfortunately, Jones suffered a torn pectoral muscle in training and is expected to be out for eight months.

The news was a low blow for Miocic.

“How did I feel when I woke up today? Like I got kicked in the nuts,” Miocic said on his OnlyFans account. “In the morning, I woke up to my phone vibrating. It was dark, I had my son on top of me, trying to move and get my phone. I finally got my phone and had a text message from my manager saying my fight was off.

“I couldn’t sleep the rest of the night. I was supposed to fight Jon Jones in about two weeks in New York, UFC 295, Madison Square Garden. I was pretty excited about that. Actually really excited. I guess he tore something in his chest. Unfortunately, that happens. It’s part of the game. Hopefully he gets better and feels better, but what happens now? Do I fight somebody else? I don’t know.”

In response to the fight falling through, the UFC implemented an interim title fight between Sergei Pavlovich and Tom Aspinall. Miocic says the UFC didn’t offer him the opportunity to fight for the interim belt to stay on UFC 295 despite being ready for the event.

“I don’t know why I didn’t get picked, which is fine,” Miocic said. “I understand they have a direction they want to go. I’m okay with that. Every guy in the division is tough. I definitely want to fight the biggest fish, which is Jon Jones.

“It wasn’t my choice, it was theirs. Listen, everything happens for a reason. The fight being canceled, it sucks. No question about it. Unfortunately, that’s just the game we’re in. It happens. Like I said, I hope he’s okay. You want to be the best, you’ve got to beat the best. I want that belt back. It’s my belt. It’s going to happen.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 295.

Jon Jones addresses ‘very sad situation’ of UFC 295 injury withdrawal, apologizes to Stipe Miocic

Jon Jones spoke publicly for the first time about the injury that has forced him out of the UFC 295 main event.

UFC heavyweight champion [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag] appears to be taking his recent injury in stride, despite it costing him a big main event title fight at Madison Square Garden.

Jones was set for a massive title fight against Stipe Miocic at UFC 295 on Nov. 11, but due to an injury suffered in training camp, “Bones” is no longer able to compete. Late Tuesday night, UFC CEO Dana White announced Jones suffered a torn pectoral muscle.

Thursday, Jones posted a video to Instagram, speaking publicly on his injury for the first time, and the entire situation revolving around his withdrawal from UFC 295.

“Thank you to everybody who’s checked in with me to see how I was feeling,” Jones said. “Obviously, a very sad situation. Very upset. But I’ve been through a lot of things in life, and injuries is a part of being an athlete. I want to thank the UFC for getting me into one of the best doctors in the country, Dr. Neal ElAttrache. Thank you to Dr. Neal ElAttrache and his staff members over here in California for seeing me so quick.”

https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cy4iUwcpMge/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Dr. ElAttrache is a celebrity orthopedic surgeon who has worked with a number of high-profile athletes across all major sports. He recently operated on former UFC light heavyweight champion Jamahal Hill, who ruptured his Achilles tendon in July.

Jones continued by extending an apology to Miocic, who will also not compete at UFC 295 as the promotion has created an interim title bout between Tom Aspinall and Sergei Pavlovich. Jones, Miocic and White all seem to be on board with keeping their matchup intact for a later date when Jones is healthy to return.

“I wanted to say thank you to Stipe Miocic for all the work that he’s put in,” Jones said. “Also, sorry to Stipe and his team. This comes with the territory. Thank you to all my coaches and training partners, everyone who has helped me get this far – can’t even say to the fight. But the goal is to get surgery tomorrow and get back to work as soon as possible. I guess it’ll be Stipe and I at a later date, and that’s my plan.

“So it’ll be surgery and physical therapy for me for the next several months. But I’m committed. I’m committed, and my head is high. Thank you to everyone who has prayed for me, and I love you all. And again, sincere apology to the fans. I know some of you guys, it was a huge commitment to get out to Madison Square Garden. Hopefully, these other heavyweights, Aspinall and Sergei put on a great show for you guys. I may even show up to the event to watch. But I love you all, and your boy Jon Jones is doing OK. And I’ll be OK. Take care.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 295.

MMA Junkie Radio #3407: UFC 295 changes with Jon Jones injured, Aspinall vs. Pavlovich announced, more

Check out the latest episode of MMA Junkie Radio with “Gorgeous” George and “Goze” right here.


Thursday’s edition of MMA Junkie Radio with “Gorgeous” George and “Goze” is here.

On Episode 3,407, the guys had a lot of big news to discuss. UFC 295 saw massive changes as the original main event between [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag] and [autotag]Stipe Miocic[/autotag] is off. Jones suffered an injury in training, and the promotion announced [autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Sergei Pavlovich[/autotag] for the interim heavyweight title. Tune in!

Chael Sonnen doubts Jon Jones will have speedy recovery after tearing pectoral tendon

Chael Sonnen sees Jon Jones having a difficult time making it back to the cage following his injury that knocked him out of UFC 295.

[autotag]Chael Sonnen[/autotag] believes UFC heavyweight champion [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag] could need more than eight months to recover.

Jones (27-1 MMA, 21-1 UFC) was forced out of his first title defense against Stipe Miocic (20-4 MMA, 14-4 UFC) at UFC 295 after sustaining a torn pectoral tendon that requires surgery.

In the meantime, the UFC opted to book an interim title fight between Sergei Pavlovich (17-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC) and Tom Aspinall (13-3 MMA, 6-1 UFC), which co-headlines the Nov. 11 card at Madison Square Garden in New York. White said Jones needs about eight months to heal, but Sonnen thinks that as long as he’s in the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency drug testing pool, which remains the UFC’s partner until the end of the year, that timeframe is unlikely.

“Jon Jones, don’t forget they took all his needles, all the good stuff, so that’s going to be a very hard recovery at this age,” Sonnen told The MacLife. “This is a guy that’s already sat for three years. This is a guy that hasn’t taken good care of himself. I wish Jon the best. I don’t want to kick him while he’s down. I’m trying to be very realistic about this scenario, and I think Jon can handle the business from me.

“Jon Jones is going to be out eight months in the best-case scenario. That’s going to put him at 37 years old to preserve a fight with what will then be a 42-and-a-half-year-old.”

Sonnen sees Pavlovich vs. Aspinall as the real title fight. With both Jones and Miocic’s recent inactivity, Sonnen says no one will be clamoring to see their fight once it’s rebooked.

“If we get down the road, eight months, which is the best-case scenario – I mean, don’t forget this is a bad shoulder injury,” Sonnen said. “Jon Jones is 36 years old. He’s going to be 37. They took his growth hormone and his testosterone away. This isn’t like the olden days where he can heal himself in record time. If he stays within the USADA pool, if it’s eight months, it’s going to be the full eight months.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 295.

Dana White hopes Jon Jones-Stipe Miocic winner will fight Sergei Pavlovich-Tom Aspinall winner

Dana White intends on rebooking Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic, and he’d like to see the winner put off retirement for at least one more fight.

LAS VEGAS – UFC CEO [autotag]Dana White[/autotag] intends on rebooking UFC heavyweight champion [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag] against [autotag]Stipe Miocic[/autotag].

Jones (27-1 MMA, 21-1 UFC) vs. Miocic (20-4 MMA, 14-4 UFC) was scrapped from UFC 295 after Jones sustained a torn pectoral tendon that requires surgery. As a result, the UFC booked an interim title fight between [autotag]Sergei Pavlovich[/autotag] (17-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC) and [autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag] (13-3 MMA, 6-1 UFC), which co-headlines the Nov. 11 card at Madison Square Garden in New York.

“It’s one of those ones where if you know you know,” White told MMA Junkie and other reporters. “It’s a badass fight with two young studs, and that’s going to be a fun one.”

White explained that it would have been offensive to offer Miocic an interim title fight. The plan is to have the winner of Pavlovich vs. Aspinall unify his belt with the winner of Jones vs. Miocic, which will be rebooked once Jones is healthy.

“One hundred percent (the winner will have to wait for Jones vs. Miocic to happen),” White said. “So here’s the deal: Jones and Stipe were supposed to fight. Jones gets hurt, right? Eight, nine months he’s going to be out. You don’t strip him or take him out of the rankings after a year, right?

“So, if you’re Sergei and Aspinall, you’re getting the opportunity to fight for the interim title anyway now. So, yeah, they’re going to have to wait until this fight happens. This fight was set up; this fight needs to happen. Two of the biggest legends in the sport want the fight, (and) the fans want the fight.”

When asked what happens if Jones and Miocic decide to retire after fighting each other, White said he’d like it if the winner unified their belt with the interim champ.

“To be the man, you’ve got to beat the man. So whoever wins that fight, it would be nice to see them stick around and defend it,” White said. “That we can’t determine until it happens.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 295.

Dana White wouldn’t ‘disrespect’ Stipe Miocic with UFC 295 interim title offer after Jon Jones’ injury

UFC CEO Dana White says Stipe Miocic was never considered to remain on UFC 295 after Jon Jones was forced out due to injury.

LAS VEGAS – UFC CEO [autotag]Dana White[/autotag] says [autotag]Stipe Miocic[/autotag] was never considered to remain on UFC 295 after [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag] was forced out of their heavyweight title fight due to injury.

The main event of UFC’s 30th anniversary show on Nov. 11 at Madison Square Garden in New York was derailed on Wednesday when White announced Jones (27-1 MMA, 21-1 UFC) has sustained a torn pectoral tendon and would require surgery, removing him from his scheduled title defense against Miocic (20-4 MMA, 14-4 UFC).

The promotion quickly moved on, and booked an interim title matchup between Sergei Pavlovich and Tom Aspinall, which left many wondering what the future of the heavyweight division looked like. There were questions about why Miocic wasn’t one half of the interim title bout, which White explained following Wednesday’s Power Slap 5 event at the UFC Apex.

“Jon called and he said he hurt his shoulder training and wrestling, and his team thought he just needed a few days off and, ‘You’ll be fine and whatever,'” White told MMA Junkie and other reporters. “He felt like something was really wrong, flew out here and did the MRI, found out what was wrong and he was super emotional about it, really upset and we did what we do and flipped it and made another fight.

“Stipe’s not fighting for an interim title. Jones said, ‘I want to fight Stipe. I said, ‘You’re fighting Stipe.’ You have the greatest heavyweight to all-time, versus the greatest martial artist of all time. This is a legacy fight for both of those guys. To even call Stipe and ask Stipe to fight for an interim title, is complete disrespect. This is a fight for two legends. Legacy. Two of the greatest to ever do it. The fans want to see it, I want to see it and they both want to do it.”

White said the expected timeline for Jones’ recovery is at least eight months, but it will depend on whether the surgery goes smoothly. At this point, it’s far too soon to know exactly when he’ll be back in the octagon.

“I’m not thinking about anything until I know how Jon’s surgery goes,” White said. “He’s got to have surgery, so I’ve got to get through the surgery, see how fast he recovers. He was very serious, he was literally like, ‘I want to do the surgery this week.’ So, he wants to go get this thing done and start rehabbing and start working his way back.”

When Jones is eventually healthy and ready to return to competition, White said it’s the UFC’s priority to reschedule the fight with Miocic. That might be confusing to some because an interim title is being introduced with the Pavlovich (17-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC) vs. Aspinall (13-3 MMA, 6-1 UFC) fight, but White thinks it’s essential for Jones vs. Miocic to happen.

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It’s unfortunate for Miocic, who is 41 and already hasn’t fought since March 2021. However, White said this is the reality of the situation, and not much can be done besides putting plans on hold.

“Obviously Stipe’s been in training camp, and he spent time and energy and money on this thing,” White said. “And when this happens, it’s like – obviously he’s very, very upset about it. These fighters go through a ton of emotions. You saw the backstage with Daniel Cormier when the fight fell out (at UFC 200), and that was days before the fight. But yeah, he’s upset. But he’s the greatest heavyweight of all time. This fight makes sense for him. This is a legacy fight. For Jon Jones to fight Stipe at heavyweight, it’s massive in his career. For Stipe to beat Jon Jones and regain the heavyweight title, why would you want to do anything else?

“Stipe Miocic is going to fight in an interim title fight? No. He’s upset. He’s upset and he deserves to be upset. But it’s one of those things, it’s no one’s fault. Jon Jones wants to fight. Jon Jones doesn’t want to have surgery. We don’t want the Jon Jones fight to go away with Stipe, but it is what it is and we all have to deal with it.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 295.

Tom Aspinall opens as slight betting favorite over Sergei Pavlovich in UFC 295 interim title fight

Tom Aspinall is favored by oddsmakers to claim interim heavyweight gold against Sergei Pavlovich at UFC 295.

[autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag] is favored by oddsmakers to claim interim heavyweight gold against [autotag]Sergei Pavlovich[/autotag] at UFC 295.

After an injury to champion Jon Jones derailed his planned title defense against Stipe Miocic at the UFC’s 30th anniversary show on Nov. 11 at Madison Square Garden in New York, the promotion changed course and booked Pavlovich (18-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC) vs. Aspinall (13-3 MMA, 6-1 UFC) for the interim belt.

Although Pavlovich is riding the superior wave of momentum with a six-fight knockout streak inside the octagon, oddsmakers gave Aspinall the edge when setting the opening line for the contest.

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According to DraftKings, Aspinall is the -130 favorite (meaning a $130 bet is needed to yield a $100 return), while Pavlovich sits as the +110 underdog (meaning a $100 bet would return $130) for the upcoming fight, which serves as the co-main event of the card.

Check out the latest fight card for UFC 295 below:

  • Alex Pereira vs. Jiri Prochazka – for vacant light heavyweight title
  • Sergei Pavlovich vs. Tom Aspinall – for interim heavyweight title
  • Jessica Andrade vs. Mackenzie Dern
  • Diego Lopes vs. Pat Sabatini
  • Matt Frevola vs. Benoit Saint Denis
  • Kevin Borjas vs. Joshua Van
  • Stephen Erceg vs. Matt Schnell
  • Loopy Godinez vs. Tabatha Ricci
  • Jared Gordon vs. Mark Madsen
  • Nurullo Aliev vs. Mateusz Rebecki
  • Viacheslav Borshchev vs. Nazim Sadykhov
  • Dennis Buzukja vs. Jamall Emmers
  • John Castaneda vs. Kyung Ho Kang

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 295.

Francis Ngannou reacts to Jon Jones injury, UFC 295 withdrawal: ‘It’s never good news’

Francis Ngannou gives his first public reaction to news Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic is off UFC 295.

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – [autotag]Francis Ngannou[/autotag] takes no comfort in knowing the UFC heavyweight title fight is off due to injury.

Though he departed the promotion as heavyweight champion in 2022, Ngannou won’t let pettiness enter his mind. Hearing [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag] fell out of the UFC 295 main event vs. Stipe Miocic due to a torn pectoral muscle brings him no joy.

“Well, I think it’s sad news,” Ngannou told MMA Junkie after an open workout Wednesday ahead of his boxing match vs. Tyson Fury. “It’s never good news when athletes get injured. Basically, in training.  I hope he recovers well. I was very excited to watch that fight and see who was going to win that fight.”

Even situationally, Ngannou thinks he’d be crazy to feel vindicated or boosted based off the misfortune or failure of another company or fighter, especially considering injuries are an inherent part of combat sports.

“Something like this is not something you can blame to somebody,” Ngannou said. “It’s something that can happen to everybody. It could’ve happened here. It could happen to anybody. I don’t think that’s a part of the decision, but yes. It sucks, though.”

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Ngannou admits he hasn’t looked too much into the impromptu interim title fight between Sergei Pavlovich and Tom Aspinall that’s been added to the Nov. 11 event at Madison Square Garden in New York.

Right now, Ngannou is more focused on his own position in the combat sports landscape, and that’s one-half of a crossover superfight Saturday at Riyadh Arena.

“I’m out here living my dream, living in the big stage,” Ngannou said. “I think whether there’s an undisputed champion out there or not, I’m happy to be part of the game.”

For more on the matchup, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Fury vs. Ngannou.