Dan Henderson celebrates win over Fedor Emelianenko
With a knee injury sidelining UFC light heavyweight contender Dan Henderson from an upcoming title match versus Jon Jones, and the events subsequent cancellation, ‘Hendo’ took to the web to voice his thoughts on being forced to withdraw from a fight “for the first time in my career.”
Henderson suffered a partially torn ligament in his right knee, and luckily, will not have to undergo surgery to repair the damage.
‘Hendo’s’ message to fans was posted on the ClinchGear.com website earlier this afternoon.
Sadly and unfortunately, I partially tore a ligament in my knee in training. As a result I’ve had to make one of the toughest decisions that I have ever had to make…for the first time in my career I am forced to pull out of a fight, my fight with Jon Jones at UFC 151. Luckily, surgery is not needed at this time and I will be completely devoted to rehabbing my knee as quickly as possible. I feel that I owe it to my fans and all the people supporting me to fight at my full potential in order to give myself a chance to win the UFC title. I appreciate the loyal support that I have felt from my fans. I want to thank all of my coaches and team of guys for the great support with my training camp. Most importantly, I appreciate their honesty when I needed them the most to make this very difficult decision. I also want to thank Dana and Lorenzo for being so understanding and supportive. I will continue to pursue the UFC belt with all of my heart!
Dan “Hendo” Henderson
Henderson and Jones were to headline UFC 151 in just eight days, and despite UFC president Dana White’s efforts to find a new opponent, was forced to cancel the event instead.