UFC president Dana White has insisted that a heavyweight title fight between Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic will take place next year.
The pair had been due to face off at UFC 295 in New York next month, only for Jones to be forced to pull out of the bout on Tuesday due to a torn pectoral tendon.
Jones, who is the reigning champion after winning the vacant title with a first-round submission of Ciryl Gane on his heavyweight debut in March, has undergone surgery on the injury and is expected to be out for nine months.
The 41-year-old Miocic remains fit to fight, but White instead decided to book an interim heavyweight title fight between Tom Aspinall and Sergei Pavlovich for the event.
Explaining the decision, White suggested that asking two-time heavyweight champion Miocic to fight for an interim title would be 'disrespectful', and promised that the bout with Jones will take place next year.
The winner of Aspinall vs. Pavlovich would then take on the winner of Jones vs. Miocic to determine the undisputed champion, should veterans Jones and Miocic choose to take up another fight.
"This fight [Jones v Miocic] was set up, this fight needs to happen. Two of the biggest legends of the sport want the fight," White told reporters.
"Stipe's not fighting for an interim title. Jones said 'I want to fight Stipe'. I said 'you're fighting Stipe. You have the greatest heavyweight of all time versus the greatest mixed martial artist of all time.
"This is a legacy fight for both of those guys. To even call Stipe and ask him to fight for an interim title is complete disrespect.
"To be the man you've got to beat the man, so whoever wins that fight, it would be nice to see them stick around to defend the title."
Jones boasts a 27-1-1 record from his professional career and is widely regarded as one of the greatest pound-for-pound MMA fighters ever, having also dominated at light-heavyweight.
Miocic, meanwhile, has the most wins in heavyweight title fights and the longest-reigning heavyweight title defence in UFC history.
