Dustin Jacoby ended the year on a high by KO’ing Vitor Petrino at UFC On ESPN 63 last weekend, but he’s now revealed that the fight almost didn’t happen after he suffered a grizzly injury just a few weeks out from the fight.
“Three weeks prior to the fight, I completely ripped my right big toe off my foot,” Jacoby told MMA Fighting. “I could not run, walk, train, nothing the entire week. I was really nervous that I was not going to be able to make the walk to the octagon. In over 50 pro fights between MMA and kickboxing, I’ve never not once shown up on the day that I was going to when I sign the contract and I take a lot of pride in that.
“There was a lot of doubts, especially when I ripped that toe off. It was very reminiscent of when Jon Jones fought Chael Sonnen and his foot was posted out and his big toe just ripped off. That’s exactly what happened on my right foot.”
The 36-year-old Jacoby then went on to describe how it happened and the extent of the damage in more stomach-churning detail.
“I was posted, and I thought I stubbed my toe,” Jacoby said. “I felt it right when it happened. I thought I rolled my toe or I stubbed it. I finished the round, the round got over and I started walking back to my corner and I’m like holy shit, my foot really hurts. We saw blood everywhere and I took my training pad off and sat down on the stool and I saw the inside of my right big toe had a huge cut on it. I’m like where in the heck did that come from? I thought I just stubbed it
“I grabbed my toe to see how bad it was, and my entire toe just came off my foot. It was like a door hinge. I freaked out, I pushed it back and I looked around and I was like ‘I have to go somewhere right now.’ Immediately at that point I’m like, I’m not fighting. My fight’s done. I have to fight in three weeks.”
Jacoby then rushed to hospital expecting the worst, but received unexpected good news from the doctor who help patch him up.
“I go and I get it X-rayed, and it wasn’t broke. It was dislocated, and I put it back in place. They stitched it up and they told me right then and there, ‘I don’t see why you wouldn’t be able [to fight].’ With the stitches, it’s going to be uncomfortable for a week or two and I was like, I fight in three weeks. I guess if I can walk on it and move on it, I guess I’m going to make that walk. And I certainly did.”
And all’s well that ends well as Jacoby was not only able to fight, but also notched up arguably the best knockout win of his career and a $50,000 ‘Performance Of The night’ bonus too, while his injured toe thankfully remained firmly attached to his foot.
“Adrenaline is a hell of a drug. I didn’t feel it one time there in the fight. It’s insane what the human body is capable of! I couldn’t believe it.”
