UFC
Jon Jones comments on hand injury, looks forward to Rashad Evans vs. Phil Davis at UFC 133
Apr 25, 2011 - 9:55:59 PM Jon Jones comments on hand injury, looks forward to Rashad Evans vs. Phil Davis at UFC 133

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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

Some shocking news came out today to kick off the week with the revelation that Jon Jones will be out longer than the UFC or Rashad Evans is willing to wait due to injury, and Evans will now meet Phil Davis at UFC 133 instead.

Jones has now commented on the injury, and revealed that it's been a nagging college injury and was re-aggravated in his title winning performance against Mauricio "Shogun" Rua at UFC 128. The injury is a tear to the tissue in his right hand between his thumb and his forefinger, and though Jones says it doesn't negatively affect a lot of his game, it's something that needed to be taken care of.

"This is an injury that's been recurring since I was a college wrestler, it doesn't affect my punching or grappling, but I am taking the time and the proper measures to correct this now, so that it doesn't happen again," said Jones in a press release from his management group, Authentic Sports Management. "I look forward to getting back to training and to my first title defense. As for Rashad, let’s see what happens with Phil Davis. I will be watching that fight with great interest."

ASM also received a comment from Evans, who will get back to action on August 6 for the first time in 15 months.

"I'm looking forward to fighting Phil Davis August 6th at UFC 133, he's a strong wrestler and a rising star in the light heavyweight division," said Evans. "I wish Jon Jones a speedy recovery, he has something that belongs to me and when he's ready, I'll be waiting."

Link to Statement

Penick's Analysis: Though it might not be an extremely serious injury, it is the type of thing that can be easily tweaked and can be made more serious if not taken care of earlier. Seeing as he's only 23-years-old, taking a little extra time off to make sure this injury heals correctly is the right move, even if it takes away an immediate big money fight and puts that matchup in danger. The smart thing for him is to take care of his body first, and then get back to defending that title so as to hopefully not allow an injury to hamper his first title defense.

[Jon Jones art by Cory Gould (c) MMATorch.com]