Will Jon Jones’ absence affect UFC 295 numbers?

Jon Jones is one of the greatest MMA fighters of all time. And while skill and success in the Octagon do not always translate to pay-per-view numbers, this is not the case for ‘Bones’. His long-awaited return to the UFC last year at UFC 285 against Ciryl Gane for the heavyweight title was a roaring success.

And the UFC would have been looking at another roaring success at UFC 295, which was originally supposed to be headlined by a battle of the GOATs. Jon Jones, the MMA GOAT was to fight heavyweight GOAT Stipe Miocic in the former’s first heavyweight title defense. However, Jones got injured weeks before the bout, leading to its cancellation. And this has raised an important question: will it affect the PPV numbers for the Madison Square Garden card?

Will Jon Jones’ absence affect UFC 295 numbers?

In a nutshell, yes. But exactly what effect it would have on the PPV buys of the card is almost impossible to predict. There are undoubtedly some very competitive matchups that fans are excited about on the November 11 card. Jiri Prochazka vs. Alex Pereira for the vacant light heavyweight title will now be the main event for UFC 295.

Stylistically, the matchup promises to be an electrifying affair, with all signs pointing towards a KO victory. And the replacement bout for the canceled Jones-Miocic contest is another compelling fixture that would set the tone for the future of the heavyweight division. KO artist Sergei Pavlovich will take on promising prospect Tom Aspinall?for the interim heavyweight title. These promising bouts may mitigate the potential loss in PPV numbers somewhat.

However, Jones’ absence still might negatively affect the success of UFC 295. After all, Jon Jones was going to fight in what he has called the most important fight of his career. In fact, it might also be his last fight ever. It would have been a fight no UFC fan could miss.

This is probably why the UFC booked the card at MSG, among the most iconic venues in the world, which has been the site of some of the biggest UFC events.

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A brief history of UFC events at MSG

In its early days, the UFC was banned in the state of New York. The promotion has come a long way since then and is considered a respectable, mainstream sport. And UFC 295 will be the seventh UFC event to be held at the marquee venue. And before the upcoming spectacle that is UFC 295, MSG witnessed some amazing matchups.

• At UFC 205, Conor McGregor defeated Eddie Alvarez for the lightweight title to become the first UFC two-division champion. The event was held at MSG in November 2016.
• At UFC 217 in November 2017, GSP returned to defeat middleweight champion Michael Bisping.
• Derrick Lewis vs. Daniel Cormier, which Cormier won by submission, headlined UFC 230.
• The first B.M.F title bout at UFC 244 came next. Nate Diaz and Jorge Masvidal faced off for the title, and the Cuban-American managed to beat Diaz in the third round.
• Kamaru Usman rematched Colby Covington for the welterweight title at UFC 268, in 2021 at the MSG.
• The most recent card hosted by ‘The Garden’ was led by the fight between Israel Adesanya and Alex Pereira last year, which saw the Brazilian win the middleweight title after an unexpected victory over Adesanya at UFC 281.

So do you think UFC 295 will be able to match the expectations and the standards set by the prior UFC events? Let us know in the comments.

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