Well yesterday has to be one of the most one of the most eventful days in the UFC.if you guys didn't already know the ufc 151 card was cancelled,YES the whole card,first time in ufc history that has happened.Basically there were rumours going around hendo was injured,but they eventually were found out to be true,hendo suffered a partial mcl tear.So naturally dana white had to find a replacement fight for jones ,on 8 days notice.Up stepped the american gangster chael sonnen,but jones instead turned the fight down,which had dana white fuming.White said he was disgusted at jones,and rightly so I think.But then it was concluded that jones will eventually fight on the ufc 152 card,against machida.But this morning,the news has come out that machida now has declined the jones fight which would have been on the 22nd of september.So now,vitor belfort has stepped in and will fight jones.
In my opinion,jones,who isn't the most popular fighter,has made a big mistake here.Still not sure if it was his choice or greg jacksons,but to turn down a fight that potentially would mean the card getting cancelled,the ufc losing millions is a joke.If your the champion,you fight anyone,anywhere,anytime.Sonnen stepped in with 8 days notice,yet jones couldn't accept it.He refused to fight a middleweight,who let's be honest,he would have destroyed.Gutted about this whole fiasco.
Link:http://mmajunkie.com/news/30339/dan-henderson-out-of-ufc-151-headliner-champ-jon-jones-now-meets-lyoto-machida.mma
Thoughts on this???i
UFC 151 Fiasco!
posted on 24/8/12
Gutted, what acock Jones is...
Is Chael moving up permanently? Hope so, the weight cut killed him last time out.
posted on 24/8/12
When one of the big things about UFC is the best guys always toughing it out, this just goes against the grain and even though Jones hasnt prepared for Sonnen, c'mon he knows who he is what his strengths and weaknesses are.
To let down the whole show is a bit selfish especially when the favour still swings with you.
If your a champion you shouod be confident in beating anyone, if you dont want someone from a lower weight who only has 8 days notice...hmmmmm
posted on 24/8/12
No mistake by Jones, 8 days is too short. Reschedule and fight at a later date. He will have based his training around Henderson and his right hand, so to change for Sonnen to lay on top of him for 5 rounds must need more than a week (no matter how talented a fighter he may be).
Plus Jones is the champ who earned the title at 205, while Sonnen needs to get in line with the rest of em at 205 first and foremost.
But I do think that maybe there should be some replacement fighters ready to step in, who are officially named / agreed on. Plan B if you like.
posted on 24/8/12
comment by Hoppa (U14074)
I hear what your saying but he is a Mixed martial artist ready to fight anyone.
Other fighters are more reliant on the money and Sonnen said he would give away his purse to Jones.
I think Jones has let himself and the UFC down, 8 days is nearly 2 weeks...
posted on 24/8/12
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posted on 24/8/12
Jones as UFC champ is a business enterprise - an eventual fully scheduled fight with Sonnen would reap far greater rewards for the UFC.
Jones would have had 3/4 days at most training left, before preparations begin including cutting weight for weigh-ins etc.
Vik, I agree with you about Sonnen being on the receiving end of some nasty Jones striking but still being up for it, but it was Win Win for him all the way - challenge and win new fans, fight and win new fans for giving it a go whatever the outcome, and should he actually have won then history is written.
Yes Jones could have looked to have settled this and won over some new fans, but these aren't playground fights.
posted on 25/8/12
I completely agree with you Hoppa,it's a lose,lose situation for JJ and a win,win for Cheal,there's no way in the world the champ should have to defend his belt under those circumstances.
The Champion and his opponent deserve a full camp to prepare for a Title fight,not only for themselves but for us fans too,so we get to see these fighters performing at their best.
The most disgusting thing about all this is the way the UFC have passed the blame onto one of their fighters,and so many fans are jumping on board instead of aiming their frustrations where they belong,at the UFC.
Who would of got the blame for this if Jones had got injured aswell ?
The same people who should be getting the blame now.
If they had back up plans in place like they should of, this card would still be going ahead,nobody would be saying anything about Jones,they'd just be saying how can a MW with no fights in the UFC at LHW be expecting a shot at Jon Jones.
The UFC would of been getting loads of grief for even suggesting cheal get that fight.
Dana shouldn't of come out blasting Jon Jones,he should of been apologizing for not having a back up plan to save this card and backing his champ up,by telling the MMA community,that it was just impossible to find an opponent to fight for the LHW belt on such short notice.
This is shocking treatment to one of their employees
posted on 25/8/12
i dont get what the issue is with people, with dana white as cheerleader everyones blaming jones, good on him sonnen doent deserve anything after the beat down silva gave him and dana should have been ashamed putting that forward as a ppv headliner
the 1st ufc ppv is cancelled, so what, fans in the U.S. especially should be happy that they dnt have to fork out 50dollers for jj destruction of sonnen and a mighty weak undercard
posted on 25/8/12
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posted on 25/8/12
JJ was contracted to fight Dan Henderson,not to be the main event at 151 or to fight Cheal Sonnen on 8 days notice.
Plus Cheal is no mug,he took arguable the greatest fighter in the world through the worst 5 rds he's ever been through,as well as winning the first round of their last fight,also Cheal isn't just a average size MW,he's one of the biggest MW's out there,he's openly admitted he walks around at about 217 lb.
do you honestly think Dana would do that,basically try and blackmail Jones into taking the cheal fight,by saying "If you don't take the fight,I'm cancelling the whole event "
There is no way in the world that happened,the UFC made the choice to cancel this event after Jon Jones turned down the fight,when they realized they had absolutely zero of a back up plan and they had also made the rest of the event so weak,that they couldn't promote another fight off the card up as the main event.
Instead of taking the flak,which was completely down to them,they cowardly shifted the blame to one of their employees.
This isn't the first time someone has dropped out of the main event,where they had to make last minute changes,this is the first time though,that they have tried to sell an over all poor card,hardly worthy of making a fuel TV show as a PPV because Jon Jones was on it.
and that's why it's blown up in their faces.
Dana has banged on for years that the difference between boxing and the UFC is,fans buy UFC PPV's because they put out a full card of great fights and fighters instead of just a big main event.
If that was the case(which it normally is)then this wouldn't of happened as the co main event would of been strong enough to headline and the rest of the card would of gone on as normal..
On the Cheal 8 days thing,I believe Cheal's been getting ready for this fight for 3 weeks,the exact time he started calling Jones out and coincidentally the exact same time his close friend and training partner,Hendo hurt his knee.
Why didn't hendo tell everyone he was out,3 weeks ago,instead of 8 days before the fight?
This can all be put down to a giant conspiracy theory on my behalf,but there is no doubt that,with this being such short notice,that would be the only possible way cheal could of got a chance at this fight..