diff --git a/app/models/milestone.rb b/app/models/milestone.rb
index e47b644074601b40a0ec08cd5b47992d0ef1532d..eaa2db2e247ef1cc7e631434789de0a50fb5fddf 100644
--- a/app/models/milestone.rb
+++ b/app/models/milestone.rb
@@ -76,7 +76,7 @@ class Milestone < ActiveRecord::Base
   end
 
   def reference_link_text(from_project = nil)
-    %Q{<i class="fa fa-clock-o"></i> }.html_safe + self.title
+    self.title
   end
 
   def expired?
diff --git a/app/views/shared/issuable/_sidebar.html.haml b/app/views/shared/issuable/_sidebar.html.haml
index 9d65a621e53a47758b69ef9a2414ca5e2d868db6..79c5cc7f40aa27a1e7bde511f2aff57499a7f09e 100644
--- a/app/views/shared/issuable/_sidebar.html.haml
+++ b/app/views/shared/issuable/_sidebar.html.haml
@@ -28,7 +28,8 @@
           %span.back-to-milestone
             = link_to namespace_project_milestone_path(@project.namespace, @project, issuable.milestone) do
               %strong
-                = issuable.milestone.reference_link_text
+                = icon('clock-o')
+                = issuable.milestone.title
         - else
           .light None
       .selectbox
diff --git a/lib/banzai/filter/milestone_reference_filter.rb b/lib/banzai/filter/milestone_reference_filter.rb
index f99202af5e8d4d259b252a2b2a3b9d3c391c8c93..e88b27c1fae4ef4c7d5b8f817dd99cb22aea5b7c 100644
--- a/lib/banzai/filter/milestone_reference_filter.rb
+++ b/lib/banzai/filter/milestone_reference_filter.rb
@@ -3,8 +3,6 @@ require 'banzai'
 module Banzai
   module Filter
     # HTML filter that replaces milestone references with links.
-    #
-    # This filter supports cross-project references.
     class MilestoneReferenceFilter < AbstractReferenceFilter
       def self.object_class
         Milestone
diff --git a/spec/lib/banzai/filter/milestone_reference_filter_spec.rb b/spec/lib/banzai/filter/milestone_reference_filter_spec.rb
index c53e780d3549e91ad0c60431fc18f96888cc0232..86b71210100728455cb531ca318928b6635f7aa3 100644
--- a/spec/lib/banzai/filter/milestone_reference_filter_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/lib/banzai/filter/milestone_reference_filter_spec.rb
@@ -29,7 +29,7 @@ describe Banzai::Filter::MilestoneReferenceFilter, lib: true do
 
     it 'links with adjacent text' do
       doc = reference_filter("milestone (#{reference}.)")
-      expect(doc.to_html).to match(/\(<a.+><i.+><\/i> #{Regexp.escape(milestone.title)}<\/a>\.\)/)
+      expect(doc.to_html).to match(/\(<a.+>#{Regexp.escape(milestone.title)}<\/a>\.\)/)
     end
 
     it 'includes a title attribute' do
@@ -41,7 +41,7 @@ describe Banzai::Filter::MilestoneReferenceFilter, lib: true do
       milestone.update_attribute(:title, %{"></a>whatever<a title="})
 
       doc = reference_filter("milestone #{reference}")
-      expect(doc.text).to eq "milestone  #{milestone.title}"
+      expect(doc.text).to eq "milestone #{milestone.title}"
     end
 
     it 'includes default classes' do