Tale Of The Tape

Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

Sergei Pavlovich probably tipped them off. Jon Jones nearly got his toe ripped off by a faulty Octagon at UFC 159 back in early 2013, an injury that could have resulted in…


UFC 285: Jones v Gane
Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

Sergei Pavlovich probably tipped them off.

Jon Jones nearly got his toe ripped off by a faulty Octagon at UFC 159 back in early 2013, an injury that could have resulted in a medical TKO and the loss of his 205-pound title (seriously). Ever since that terrible toe jam, “Bones” has been slapping tape around his feet to keep those little piggies from going to market.

I guess Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) didn’t get the memo.

“I used a different tape,” Jones said at the UFC 285 post-fight press conference (transcribed by MMA Junkie). “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, so 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.”

UFC should switch to Sticky Ass Tape.

“When I got out there, the commission was like, ‘You can’t tape your feet.’ And I’m like, ‘Dude, I’ve always taped my feet,’” Jones explained. “I’m not going to compete if I can’t tape my toes. I just won’t do it. I want everyone to know that in the future, so thank God we didn’t have a disaster out there tonight.”

Whether or not we had a “disaster” all depends on who you ask.

Fortunately for all parties involved, Jones was allowed to enter the cage against Ciryl Gane in the UFC 285 pay-per-view (PPV) main event last weekend in Las Vegas, where he summarily disposed of “Bon Gamin” by way of guillotine choke. Up next is a “tougher” heavyweight title fight against Stipe Miocic at UFC 290 in July.

For more news and notes from UFC 285 click here.