Jon Jones was all set to make his return to the Octagon at UFC 295. Unfortunately, after suffering a brutal injury, the heavyweight champion of the world was ruled out of his first title defense. Following the injury, Jones has come out with a statement on the matter.
Previously, UFC President Dana White announced that Jones was out of his UFC 295 headliner. As it turns out, Jones landed in an awkward manner while wrestling in training. In doing so, the former light-heavyweight champ tore his pectoral tendon, which will require surgery.
Shortly after the news broke, ESPN MMA covered the issue in a YouTube video. Renowned journalist Brett Okamoto was joined by Daniel ‘DC’ Cormier and the iconic Chael Sonnen. Interestingly, many couldn’t help but notice that DC, who once had a big rivalry with Jones was all smiles, despite the bad news. Whilst it may not have been intentional, some believe that Cormier still harbors some disdain for his former foe.
For the most part, ‘Bones’ is understandably upset with the situation. Having to pull out from arguably the biggest fight of the year is naturally very disheartening, especially for a competitor like Jones. However, he also clarified that his goal right now is to make a speedy recovery and set up the Stipe fight once again.
Jon Jones is optimistic about an early recovery
Initially, when Dana White reported the injury, it was said that the pectoral tendon was torn clean off the bone. As such, it would take a minimum of 8 months for Jones to recover and get back into action. However, despite the setback, Jones is confident that he can make a successful early recovery. Following his surgery, Jones was in even higher spirits.
Taking to his Instagram story, Jones posted an update, fresh out of surgery. “Mission complete. “Now it’s time for the road to recovery.” In his initial update, Jones also spoke about the interim heavyweight title that will be up for grabs at Madison Square Garden on November 11, 2023. As per the UFC head honcho, Tom Aspinall and Sergei Pavlovich will battle it out for the new interim title. Moreover, Jones reveals that he could show up to watch the fight as well.
View this post on Instagram
Further, Jones has been more active on social media as well responding to people’s wishes and everything else that’s going on in the world. Amidst all this, Jones is doing his best to remain as positive as he can. Interestingly, some medical experts, including an orthopedic surgeon named Dr. David Abbasi believes that Jones can make a quicker turnaround than expected. According to the surgeon, Jones could easily make the recovery within 4-6 months as well.
However, it is to be kept in mind that the 36-year-old might not want to rush things. After all, Jon only has Stipe in his sights and as per sources, both fighters intend to retire after their fight. Many believe that it was also why the UFC was able to put together the interim title fight so quickly. For now, we can only wait for Jones to recover and hope that the GOAT vs GOAT matchup materializes again.