Even though Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) light heavyweight titleholder Jon Jones said he got "great news" regarding his toe injury just a few weeks ago, it appears a date for his return to the Octagon is nowhere close to being set.
"We talked [Wednesday]," UFC President Dana White said on Jones at Thursday's (May 23, 2013) UFC 160 media day. "His thing is, he says he feels great and the toe's healing good. But the problem was that ligament. That ligament popped. Anywhere you tear a ligament, blood flow helps the thing repair itself and heal, and you don't get a lot of blood flow at the toe."
Jones (18-1) injured his big toe in gruesome fashion during his UFC 159 title defense against Chael Sonnen last month -- a fight he won by first-round (technical) knockout for his fifth consecutive 205-pound title defense.
It wasn't until after his victory when "Bones" was conducting a post-fight interview with Joe Rogan that he noticed the injury, and immediately there was concern over the severity of his disfigured foot.
As White explained, toe injuries are a very complicated issue, which makes it all the more difficult to target a return date for the world's No. 2 ranked pound-for-pound mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter.
"Who knows," White said of a potential date for Jones' next fight. "This thing could be six weeks, or it could be six months. It's a pain in the ass. It's always some crazy little thing. He's in Russia, and when it gets back he's getting an MRI done on his toe again."
Malki Kawa, manager to the 25-year-old champion, stated earlier this week that fans might be able to see his client compete two more times before the 2013 campaign comes to a close, but with the UFC schedule essentially laid out through the end of the summer, it's unknown where Jones' next fight fits in to the puzzle.