UFC 295: Tom Aspinall to fight Sergei Pavlovich for interim heavyweight title after Jon Jones injury
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Tom Aspinall will fight Sergei Pavlovich for the interim heavyweight title at UFC 295 after champion Jon Jones picked up an injury.
Jones, 36, was due to defend his title against Stipe Miocic before injuring himself in training on Tuesday.
Briton Aspinall becomes the first Englishman to fight for an interim heavyweight UFC title.
Jiri Prochazka v Alex Pereira for the vacant light heavyweight title is the new main event at UFC 295 in New York.
Czech fighter Prochazka faces Brazil's Pereira in his first fight since a shoulder injury forced him to give up the title last year.
Prochazka, 31, last fought in June 2022 and faces former middleweight champion Pereira at Madison Square Garden.
In the new co-main event, Pavlovich steps up having been on stand by for the main event as a replacement fighter.
The 31-year-old Russian is on a six-fight winning streak, ending all those fights via first round knockout.
Although the interim title is not considered a full UFC title, Aspinall will join an exclusive club of British fighters to win UFC belts should he win.
Michael Bisping (middleweight) and Leon Edwards (welterweight) remain the only two Britons to win a UFC belt.
Should Aspinall beat Pavlovich, he is likely to face Jones on his return from injury in an undisputed fight.
UFC president Dana White said Jones will need at least eight months' recovery time.
"Jon Jones was training last night, got injured, he was wrestling and he tore the tendon that connects your pec to the bone, off the bone," White said.
"[Out] eight months, going to need surgery. He's out."