Jon Jones recently uploaded a video on Instagram in which he can be seen preparing hard for his upcoming UFC 309 fight against Stipe Miocic. Jones was sharp throughout the tape, with precise punches and quick moves. However, fans couldn’t help but notice something unusual: a bandage wrapped around his toe. This made the MMA realm buzz with theories about the upcoming fight and whether it would be canceled for the second time. Even if it doesn’t, some speculate an injury that could hinder him, costing him his title in his first-ever heavyweight title defense.

Aside from the hype for the fight, the old injury of Jones really had everyone talking. And in case you don’t remember the injury, do you remember when officials almost kept him out of the Octagon at UFC 285 due to too much tape on his toes? Yeah, that’s the one. How did this all start, and what does it mean for his upcoming fight? Let’s find it all out!

When did Jon Jones suffer a broken toe?

Jon Jones’ infamous toe injury occurred during his fight with Chael Sonnen at UFC 159 in April 2013. Jones became so involved in the fight that he didn’t even notice the bone sticking out of his big toe until Joe Rogan brought it to his attention later. Since then, he’s been taping his toe every day, both at practice and during fights, to keep it in place. Jones himself stated: “I broke my toe when I fought Chael Sonnen years ago, and ever since then, every day at practice, I tape my toe just to ensure that it doesn’t pop out.” He further added, “The toe is totally fine, but every once in a while, if I pivoted on it too hard, it sends the most excruciating pain up my body. And I just never want to compete without my toe taped again.”

We witnessed this practice in his latest training video and soon after, the UFC heavyweight champion’s wrapped-up toe became the talk of the town. But is he allowed to keep his toe wrapped up during his fights? Or is it just a practice that stays limited to his training sessions now? We did get to see that in the aforementioned UFC 285 incident.

Jon Jones asked to remove the tape from his toe at UFC 285

At UFC 285, ‘Bones’ was set to face Ciryl Gane, but as he approached the octagon, Nevada Athletic Commission officials halted him because he had too much tape on his foot. In a moment that soon became headlines, they forced him to cut the majority of the tape, leaving only enough to cover his toe. This moment was caught on camera, and fans could definitely see Jon Jones getting visibly frustrated.

Jones described the situation with Nevada officials during the UFC 285 post-fight press conference. He said, “I used different tape. I usually use a certain brand of tape. I’ll give them a shoutout, War Tape. I feel like it’s just a lot stickier. I used the UFC’s tape tonight, and as soon as my body started to sweat, the tape was sliding all over the place. I made almost like a little cast around my toe that linked down to the middle of my foot so that the tape wouldn’t slide off my toes. And when I got out there, the commission was like, ‘You can’t tape your feet.’ And I’m like, dude, I always tape my feet.”

Purely frustrated by the entire incident, Jon Jones then delivered an ultimatum. He said, “I’m not going to compete unless I can tape my toes. I just won’t do it. I want everyone to know that for the future. Thank God we didn’t have a disaster out there tonight,” he stated following the bout that he still managed to win via submission.

Will ‘Bones’ wear tape on his toe at UFC 309?

As Jon Jones prepares to fight Stipe Miocic at UFC 309, the major concern is whether he’ll be able to tape his toes. Given how important this fight is to him since it is possibly his last dance, ‘Bones’ will insist on it. The stakes are high, and the UFC heavyweight champion has made it clear that taping his toes is a must for him to perform at his peak.

With the fight just around the corner, fans and analysts are eager to see if the toe would play a part once again in the outcome of the fight and how ‘Bones’ manages to deal with it. What do you think? Will Jon Jones be able to defend his title against Stipe Miocic? Or will ‘Stone Cold’ take advantage of Jones’ age-old injury? Let us know in the comments.