Midnight Mania! Jones Talks Injury, Imminent Surgery Date

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Jon Jones is going under the knife.

Earlier this week, Jones shook the MMA community with his withdraw from UFC 295 due to a torn pec muscle (watch it happen here). His highly anticipated legacy fight versus Stipe Miocic would have to wait, as the bout has subsequently been delayed sometime into 2024. Meanwhile, top new stars Sergei Pavlovich and Tom Aspinall will square off for the interim belt.

Jones’ exact timeline for return remains uncertain, but he’s doing his very best to ensure he’ll be back as soon as possible. In the video above, Jones addresses his injury for the first time and thanks many of the people supporting him, but he also reveals that he’s scheduled for surgery tomorrow (Fri. Oct. 29, 2023).

“Thank you to everybody who’s checked in with me to see how I was feeling,” Jones began (via MMAJunkie). “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.

“I wanted to say thank you to Stipe Miocic for all the work that he’s put in,” Jones continued. “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.”

If nothing else, Jones seems certain of how the division will move forward. He still intends to face Miocic next, and the newly crowned interim champion can sit on the sidelines for as long as necessary. “Bones” at least didn’t confirm that his return would also serve as his retirement, as is heavily rumored, so maybe there’s at least a glimmer of hope for a unified belt next year.

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