Before Jon Jones ever entered the octagon, his return to action at UFC 285 encountered its first obstacle. Officials stopped Jones because his left foot and toe were taped, and he was only permitted inside the cage once the tape was removed.
Jones quickly got down to business and submitted Ciryl Gane with a guillotine choke in the first round, seemingly unaffected by it at all.
Jones described the tape on his toe as a preventative measure owing to an injury he sustained in his UFC 159 fight against Chael Sonnen years ago on the UFC 285 Post Show on ESPN.
Indeed, indeed. In order to prevent it from popping out again, I have taped my toe every day since I broke it when I fought Chael Sonnen years ago. The toe is in perfect health. Yet occasionally, if I rotate on it too forcefully, it causes the worst pain in my body, and I decide I’ll never compete again without having my toe taped. So I’m hoping the right people hear me and I don’t encounter this problem again.
Jon Jones also discussed what inspired him to simply enter the octagon and fight:
“I understood that nothing should be simple in my position as a world champion. Baltimore Ravens, my brother Arthur taught me that you need skin like an armadillo if you want to be successful. I was experiencing tape problems, so I decided not to worry about it. I want to be there, and nothing will stop me. Time for me to eat has come. They left my toe taped but removed the remainder of the tape from my foot. It was fantastic.
Francis Ngannou reacts to Jon Jones winning the heavyweight title
Francis Ngannou, the former heavyweight champion, quit the UFC and relinquished his championship so that Jon Jones vs. Ciryl Gane could take place. Although he never had his title challenged inside the octagon, the Cameroonian fighter has consistently claimed that he is still the uncontested champion.
Ngannou congratulated Jones on Twitter but included his own proclamation in the salutation after he became only the eighth fighter in history to hold titles in two categories.
Although Jon Jones hasn’t yet responded to the former heavyweight champion, after his festivities are over, look for him to.
