(Henderson, at the exact moment in his career he realized he could’ve had a V8.)
Had he known that his knee injury would ultimately play a role in one of the most embarrasing moments in MMA history not involving Ken Shamrock [Author’s note: Now THAT is how you make shameless plugs flow with the context of your article.], we’re sure Dan Henderson and his camp would have done things much, much differently. But be that as it may, you might be surprised to learn that Hendo actually injured his knee some three weeks ago, but simply didn’t have the heart to admit defeat until his final day of sparring. FightersOnly has the scoop, via Hendo’s coach, Daniel Woirin:
Dan Henderson got hurt three weeks ago during sparring when he went to defend a takedown and for a while he has to be away from training, for two to three weeks. It was very difficult for him to refuse the fight. All the team had to convince him not to do it.
We did a final sparring yesterday to evaluate his condition and he really didn’t have the chance to fight with Jones. It is so depressing for everybody. Many things are involved in a high-level fight like this one, but unfortunately, this happened.
Now, where the Hendo/Amurica fan in me wants to simply chalk this up as a classic case of a 41 year-old man being stubborn (I imagine Hendo said something along the lines of “them book-reading doctor pussies ain’t gonna tell me what to do” at one point), I simply can’t overlook the fact that Dan’s camp made a huge mistake in waiting until the very last minute to pull out of the fight.
WAIT, WAIT, DON’T TURN YOUR BACK ON ME! I’M NOT DOUBTING HENDO. JON JONES IS AN A-HOLE. ARE WE COOL AGAIN?
(Henderson, at the exact moment in his career he realized he could’ve had a V8.)
Had he known that his knee injury would ultimately play a role in one of the most embarrasing moments in MMA history not involving Ken Shamrock [Author’s note: Now THAT is how you make shameless plugs flow with the context of your article.], we’re sure Dan Henderson and his camp would have done things much, much differently. But be that as it may, you might be surprised to learn that Hendo actually injured his knee some three weeks ago, but simply didn’t have the heart to admit defeat until his final day of sparring. FightersOnly has the scoop, via Hendo’s coach, Daniel Woirin:
Dan Henderson got hurt three weeks ago during sparring when he went to defend a takedown and for a while he has to be away from training, for two to three weeks. It was very difficult for him to refuse the fight. All the team had to convince him not to do it.
We did a final sparring yesterday to evaluate his condition and he really didn’t have the chance to fight with Jones. It is so depressing for everybody. Many things are involved in a high-level fight like this one, but unfortunately, this happened.
Now, where the Hendo/Amurica fan in me wants to simply chalk this up as a classic case of a 41 year-old man being stubborn (I imagine Hendo said something along the lines of “them book-reading doctor pussies ain’t gonna tell me what to do” at one point), I simply can’t overlook the fact that Dan’s camp made a huge mistake in waiting until the very last minute to pull out of the fight.
WAIT, WAIT, DON’T TURN YOUR BACK ON ME! I’M NOT DOUBTING HENDO. JON JONES IS AN A-HOLE. ARE WE COOL AGAIN?
Although it is true that if you were to look up the word “pride” in the dictionary, Dan Henderson would reach through that book, grab you by the throat, and ask how you, a man, don’t know what the word “pride” means, his injury seems like it could’ve been handled in much smoother fashion by all parties involved. Perhaps informing Dana White a couple weeks out that Henderson had injured himself, but was going to give it some time before he made a decision, would’ve allowed the UFC enough time to find a more suitable backup opponent than Chael Sonnen.
Regardless of where you stand on this issue (it better be on Hendo’s side), it looks like Henderson’s camp will be expecting an immediate title shot when the former Strikeforce LHW champion is healthy again, whenever that may be.
“His fight has been called off and when he bounces back, he will be able to dispute the belt,” said Woirin. “After all, it’s not like the injury was osteoporosis-related. Yet.”
OK, I made up that last part. Because we all deserve a laugh to start off our weekend.
With the whirlwind of anger being directed at Jon Jones following UFC 151 being deleted from existence, only one question comes to my mind: Was Jones told that his declining to fight Chael Sonnen would cost the fans and fellow fighters the entire 151 c…
With the whirlwind of anger being directed at Jon Jones following UFC 151 being deleted from existence, only one question comes to my mind: Was Jones told that his declining to fight Chael Sonnen would cost the fans and fellow fighters the entire 151 card?
It is a very important question to ask before you blame the light heavyweight champion for the loss of an entire event.
Selfish decision or not, Jones has the right to accept or decline a fight at anytime. He signed to fight Dan Henderson, and Henderson got hurt. That leaves him and his management free to listen to the UFC’s plans and accept them or not.
Regardless of what Jones decides, the show must go on. It’s as simple as that. Word came out on Friday per USA Today that Lyoto Machida was offered to step in, in a rematch that Jones reluctantly accepted. Then, Machida declined. Why no hate towards Lyoto? Lyoto should be chomping at the bit to avenge what happened to him last December—eight days or not.
These men are highly trained athletes who should be able to fight with little notice, and we have some of them declining left, right and center.
So now, it turns out it will be Jones vs. Vitor Belfort on September 22nd at UFC 152 in Toronto.
Instead of cancelling the 151 card card and leaving fans, other fighters and themselves furious, the UFC and president Dana White should have used their muscle to force two fighters to fill in and make this card happen.
There is talk that they did not want another low-value, low-revenue event to go down, and I say that is completely the wrong approach. Stand by your roster and to hell with all those “fans” and “media” who bitch and complain about quality of card and declining pay-per-view numbers.
The UFC is playing right into the hands of those complainers by cancelling an entire card and saying it is not worthy of going off. The show must go on. If UFC 149 in Calgary was not cancelled, then no card should be cancelled, and the UFC has now opened a vicious can of worms. The show must go on. Did I say that already?
Chris Weidman told MMAFighting.com that he offered to step in and fight Jones for his belt, and we all know that Chael Sonnen was an inch away from talking himself into a shot; and people are holding him up on a pedestal. Of course these two wanted to fight. It is a win-win for both of them to get a shot at Jones.
Why not settle them both down by saying, “OK boys, you both want to fight and Jones doesn’t. You two are the UFC 151 main event. Go save the card.” Sonnen vs Weidman. Would they be as eager to put it on the line against each other? I’m not so sure.
You can say chicken Jones all you want, but we all know that is not the case. Be as mad as you want at him for not wanting to fight Sonnen and all comers. Just don’t blame Jones for the cancelling of UFC 151.
It wasn’t his decision to scrap the entire thing. All he did was decline a fight on eight days notice. If you want to be mad at someone for cancelling the card, be mad at White for making a frustrated, emotional decision that certainly can’t and won’t be good for business.
In the fallout of the Jon Jones debacle, Alan Belcher has been stripped of a chance to fight his previously scheduled opponent, Vitor Belfort, at UFC 153. With the whole ordeal that was UFC 151 causing much fallout, Belcher should still get a shot…
In the fallout of the Jon Jones debacle, Alan Belcher has been stripped of a chance to fight his previously scheduled opponent, Vitor Belfort, at UFC 153.
With the whole ordeal that was UFC 151 causing much fallout, Belcher should still get a shot to fight on the UFC 153 card. His presence on the main card was important to the card, and now it looks as if he may miss out on his chance to fight.
Here are five possible opponents for Belcher to fight in Brazil.
As the UFC’s premier athlete, Jon Jones has been compared to many stars from other sports; but his recent actions have given us the most accurate comparison in the NBA’s LeBron James.Comparing the two, the similarities are striking. Both are …
As the UFC’s premier athlete, Jon Jones has been compared to many stars from other sports; but his recent actions have given us the most accurate comparison in the NBA’s LeBron James.
Comparing the two, the similarities are striking.
Both are transcendent talents that have defined an era and changed the way their respective sports are played. Both are considered to be physical specimens unlike any athletes we have seen in the past.
Jones and James have given awe-inspiring performances that set a new bar for dominance. Jones, much like James, came into the sport and dominated in ways that we had never seen. Jones’ freakish athleticism and creativity in the Octagon have established himself as the best fighter in the game today.
LeBron has used his freakish size, strength and agility to become his sport’s marquee player from the outset of his career, and the spotlight grows on him each and every year.
The similarities don’t stop on the court/in the Octagon either, as both have experienced a similar arc in terms of public perception.
James entered the league as the uber-talented wonderkid from Akron, Ohio. Going to his hometown Cleveland Cavaliers, he single-handedly resurrected a franchise and had fans dreaming of the city’s first professional sports championship since 1964. There was no bigger hero in all of sports than LeBron James to the state of Ohio, and he was loved for it.
Jones didn’t come into his sport with quite as much hype, but he soon made a name for himself. Jones’ early UFC career included a dominant win over Stephan Bonnar and a pair of headline fights against Vladimir Matyushenko and Brandon Vera that catapulted him into title contention.
Then came the most impressive year of Jones’ career. In 2011, Jones made his claim as the best fighter in the world, beating Ryan Bader, Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and LyotoMachida in short order.
Throughout most of Jones’ rise to prominence, he was the model spokesperson for the UFC. His clean-cut image and diatribes on work ethic, confidence and perseverance were a marketer’s dream.
Then things took a turn for the worse.
On May 19, 2012, Jones was charged with a DWI after wrecking his Bentley into a pole at around 5 a.m.
While James hasn’t had to deal with any criminal charges, he knows a thing or two about tarnishing his reputation and image.
Jones’ decision to not accept a fight with ChaelSonnen on eight days’ notice can best be compared to James’ infamous “decision.”
In both cases, you had two athletes who were doing what they thought was best for their career only to face a huge amount of backlash and scrutiny from media and fans alike.
LeBron chose to shed his label of hometown hero to increase his chances of winning a title—forever altering his legacy along the way. Much like Jones’ backlash, LeBron was blamed for letting down so many people who depended upon him and not having a good sense for what the move would do to his image.
By choosing to not fight ChaelSonnen and in turn force the UFC to cancel an event, Jones has forever altered his legacy. While Jones will be remembered as a champion, this incident will always be linked to his career.
Ultimately, LeBron was able to win his elusive championship with the Heat, which, in some ways, has validated his decision.
As the saying goes, winning can fix just about anything. The question is, can Jones win enough to make fans forget about his decision?
To the shock of the MMA community as a whole, UFC president Dana White announced yesterday that UFC 151 would be cancelled due to Dan Henderson suffering a knee injury and UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones refusing to fight Chael Sonnen on eight…
To the shock of the MMA community as a whole, UFC president Dana White announced yesterday that UFC 151 would be cancelled due to Dan Henderson suffering a knee injury and UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones refusing to fight Chael Sonnen on eight days notice.
“The American Gangster” called out Jones on Twitter as White announced the event cancellation and afterwards was willing to speak with any media outlet who would listen to him spit verbal venom at Jones.
Shortly after it was announced early this morning that Lyoto Machida shockingly declined the offer to fight Jones at UFC 152 and Vitor Belfort would be filling in, Sonnen wanted to pour salt in Jones’ wound one more time.
Taking to his Facebook page, Sonnen explained that his beef with Jones was over … since “Bones” agreed to forfeit his title to Sonnen:
“I am no longer permitted to speak ill of the former champion Jon Jones as we have come to an agreement. I will stop tearing him down verbally and in exchange he has relinquished his belt to me. I would like to read a prepared statement from the former Champion.
Mr Sonnen,
In every mans life a choice must eventually be made. Run or fight. I said I wouldn’t duck any man as champion. But you are no ordinary man. You’ve spoken nothing but truth in your attempt to gain a title fight with me. My last act of cowardness is to hand over what you would have beaten out of me 8 days from today. The UFC LHW Title. Now I must refocus my life. Good luck Champ.
Signed,
Jon Bones Jones
P.S. I just ordered your best selling book, A Voice of Reason from amazon, I’ve been told by Greg Jackson that it will help me get through this tough time. Thanks”
Sonnen has some time on his hands since Jones declined to fight him. The two-time middleweight title challenger returns to the 205-pound division at UFC 155, scheduled for Dec. 29, to take on Forrest Griffin.
With the whirlwind of anger being directed at