UFC executive director Dana White explained why Stipe Miocic will not compete at UFC 295 after the withdrawal of heavyweight division champion Jon Jones.
Recall, Sergei Pavlovich was assigned to back up the fight between Miocic and Jones, but after Jones pulled out due to injury, the Russian fighter was scheduled to fight Tom Aspinall for the interim title.
Stipe’s not fighting for an interim title. You have the greatest heavyweight of all time vs. the greatest mixed 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.
Pavlovich and Aspinall will fight on November 12 at UFC 295 in New York, USA.
Aspinall last stepped into the octagon against Marcin Tybura in July 2023 at UFC Fight Night 224. Tom won that fight by technical knockout in the first round. He has 13 wins and three losses on his record.
Pavlovich's last fight was against Curtis Blaydes in April 2023 at UFC Fight Night 222. In this confrontation, Sergei won by technical knockout in the first round. He has 18 wins and one loss on his record.