Dr. David Abbasi casts doubt on the projected timeline of Jon Jones' UFC return after pec tear
Dana White recently announced that a severe injury has forced Jon Jones out of his heavyweight title fight against Stipe Miocic at UFC 295. Jones suffered the injury while wrestling and will be out for a projected eight months after undergoing surgery and rehabilitation.
While the UFC CEO confirmed that Jones will be out of action for about eight months, famed MMA surgeon Dr. David Abbasi recently expressed his skepticism about the heavyweight champion's expected return timeline.
Jon Jones suffered a severe pectoral tendon tear, commonly caused by sudden or eccentric forces and usually affects weightlifters. However, this type of injury could also be caused by overextending the arm, which stresses the tendon and pec muscles too much.
Once the pectoralis major muscle is torn away from the shoulder bone, surgery is required due to the muscle tissue retracting the tendon away. Depending on the severity of the injury, recovery time could vary between six to nine months. However, Dr. David Abbasi suggests Jones could heal within four to six months.
In a recent video uploaded to his X handle, Dr. Abbasi broke down Jones' injury and stated:
"Brutal news about Jon Jones, the fact that he tore the pec muscle off the bone... I do think the timeline of eight months seems a little bit long, a lot of these can get a full recovery in four to six months. From my personal experience, a lot of these guys are jumped the gun because they feel so good."
Francis Ngannou weighs in on Jon Jones pulling out of UFC 295 due to injury
Francis Ngannou recently weighed in on the Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic heavyweight title bout getting scrapped due to 'Bones' suffering a nasty pectoral tendon injury.
It's no secret that the former UFC heavyweight champion has a history with Jones, and the two have long traded shots on social media. However, 'The Predator' was sympathetic towards the UFC's reigning heavyweight king and expressed his disappointment at not getting to see Jon Jones go up against Stipe Miocic.
In a recent interview with Mike Bohn, Francis Ngannou said:
"I think it's sad news. It's never good news when an athlete gets injured basically in training. I hope he recovers well. I was very excited to watch that fight and to see who was going to win that fight... Something like this, it's not a thing that you can blame on somebody."
Meanwhile, Ngannou is gearing up to make his boxing debut against Tyson Fury on October 28 in Riyadh. The Cameroonian will go ten rounds against the WBC heavyweight king.