Despite initial claims from UFC CEO, Dana White how incumbent undisputed heavyweight champion, Jon Jones may face up to eight months on the sidelines after suffering a torn pectoral tendon ahead of his return to the Octagon next month, a sport surgeon has halved the recovery time for the Endicott native, claiming a comeback could be possible as soon as just less than six months time.
Jones, the incumbent undisputed heavyweight champion under the organization’s banner, was slated to make a return to the Octagon at UFC 295 next month in a title fight defense against former two-time gold holder, Stipe Miocic.
However, this week, the aforenoted, White confirmed how Jones had been forced from his fight with Miocic after tearing a pectoral tendon “off the bone” during wrestling training ahead of his fight with the Ohio native.
And as a result, Jones and Miocic have both been pulled from the Madison Square Garden card, in place of an interim heavyweight title fight between Russian knockout artist, Sergei Pavlovich, and British talent, Tom Aspinall.
Jon Jones offered recovery lifeline after UFC 295 exit
Facing an extended period away from the sport ahead of a rebooked title fight with Miocic, Jones’ prognosis may have just received a boost from Board Certified Orthopedic Sports Surgeon, David Abbasi, who claims Jones may return in just over a period of four months.
“Brutal news about Jon Jones, the fact that he tore his pec muscle off of the bone,” Abbasi posted on his official X account. “This is an injury sometimes we see with bench press on the way down. It can also happen when your arm gets overly stretched, places too much stress on the tendon, and it will tear and retract into the chest and that’s the reason you need to have surgery on that sooner rather than later, because it can actually scar in and you’re unable to stretch it back for the repair.”
“I do think the timeline of the eight months seems a little bit long,” Abbasi continued. “A lot of these can get a full recovery in four-to-six months. From my personal experience, a lot of times these guys are jumping the gun, because they feel so good. So, hopefully he can come back a little bit sooner but definitely bad news with Jon Jones, but he did need to get this addressed now.”
When do you expect to see Jon Jones make a return to the UFC?