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ASSOCIATED PRESS
American Jon Jones, left, lands a kick on Brazil’s Lyoto Machida during their World Light Heavyweight Championship bout during UFC 140 in Toronto on Saturday, Dec. 10, 2011.
Thursday, Aug. 23, 2012 | 1:20 p.m.
Middleweight challenger Chael Sonnen boxes during a news conference and media work out Thursday, July 5, 2012 in advance of UFC 148.
UFC President Dana White called Chael Sonnen late last night when he ran out of all other options to save next week’s UFC 151 card at Mandalay Bay.
With light heavyweight champion Jon Jones’ original opponent, Dan Henderson, out to injury and top contender Lyoto Machida unable to accept the bout on eight days’ notice, Sonnen was the final choice. Despite not training seriously since his loss to Anderson Silva last month, Sonnen accepted the bout with Jones immediately.
“I’ll fly to Las Vegas tonight and fight him at Mandalay Bay or any other casino you’d like me to fight him at,” Sonnen responded, according to White.
White said his staff immediately got to work preparing new promotional materials and re-branding the event. They scheduled a media teleconference for Thursday morning to announce Jones vs. Sonnen, a fight that had some intrigue because of trash talk the two had exchanged over the last week.
But the conference call turned out to have entirely different topic — UFC 151 became the first event in promotional history to get cancelled.
“The one thing I thought wouldn’t happen in a million years happened: Jon Jones said ‘I’m not fighting Chael Sonnen with eight days’ notice,’” White said. “Something that has never happened in UFC history — someone who is a champion and considered one of the pound-for-pound best turns down a fight.”
Jones will now headline UFC 152 on Sept. 22 in Toronto in a rematch against Lyoto Machida while Henderson recovers from an MCL sprain.
White was irate after spending more than 12 hours trying to get Jones to accept a bout against Sonnen to save UFC 151. He called Jones’ coach Greg Jackson a “(expletive) sport killer” for advising the champion not to take the fight and hinted that his relationship with Jones was forever tarnished.
“Good for you, Jon Jones,” White said mockingly. “You’re rich and you’ve got some money so you didn’t need to take this fight. But there are a bunch of the guys on the undercard and this is the way they feed their family. This is the way they make a living. The UFC has spent (loads) of money to promote this fight and you didn’t feel like it or whatever your reason is not to fight.”
White called the announcement one of his “all-time lows” as president of the UFC for the last 11 years. But the UFC constructed the entire card around Jones, so there was no salvaging a pay-per-view when he refused to fight.
White admitted the Sonnen matchup wasn’t ideal considering he was coming off of a loss and hadn’t fought at 205 pounds in seven years. But it was a bout that could have sold.
“There would have been people who liked it and people who didn’t,” White said. “But here’s what I do know: Chael Sonnen would have shown up, fought his ass off and tried to win. Chael Sonnen wants to be a world champion. Those are the kinds of guys I like. Those are the guys the fans should like.”
Sonnen made one last ditch effort at getting Jones to take the fight moments before White scrapped the card completely.
“30 (minutes) to cement your legacy,” Sonnen wrote on twitter. “Champ or coward? I make a lot more than you… Show up in 8 days and I’ll give you my purse.”
Jones gave no response. He’s stayed silent, not releasing as much as a statement, since White revealed what happened.
Tickets will be refunded and White said the UFC would lose “major, major” amounts of money on unrecoverable costs. He chose to take his anger from the situation out on Jones.
“I don’t know why a champion, a guy considered one of the best pound-for-pound fighters, wouldn’t fight anybody,” White said. “It’s baffling to me. I’ve never seen it before.”
Case Keefer can be reached at 948-2790 or case.keefer@lasvegassun.com. Follow Case on Twitter at twitter.com/casekeefer.
I usually side with Dana White, but not now. he should stop pretending like he's upset for the guys on the undercard. It's not Jon Jones fault they've been putting together weak UFC cards. If I was the champ, I wouldn't fight a new opponent with 8 days notice. That is just plain ridiculous. Chael Sonnen got suspended for doping and then came back and got his butt whooped. I never wanna see the dude fight again.
Smart move by Jon Jones! White go cry to someone who really cares. Disgusted by the crap the UFC puts out and what they charge for that crap.
jon jones was lucky he won his last fight he should have taken this fight with sonnen even though he didnt want to just because now he will be in whites dog house for a long time i agree with other comments on this site the ufc has become diluted with too many fights and lousy cards i work in a sports book and the betting is not like it use to be just trying to get all these ufc fights together to try and flush out boxing which already has one foot in the coffin
@JerryWayne
Chael wasn't suspended for doping, it was his T/E ratio that caused it. His ratio was too high. Now this doesn't necessarily mean someone is taking testosterone or epitestosterone, it can in fact mean that either of those levels are really low which puts the ratio high.
In Sonnen's case, he was cleared by the Nevada State Athletic Commision as he had/has a medical condition in which his testosterone levels are lower than normal.
Chael is a beast.
chicken.
UFC....that's still around? Surprised White doesn't just use marionettes and still do a PPV. The amazing thing is that his fan base would still cough up $60 to watch. UFC is such a low grade product I am truly amazed how long it has lasted and how people are still coughing up the $$$$ to watch. This is the first step of the fighters taking control of their sport.
I have always thought Dana White is very insecure with himself...I mean dude takes steroids just because! Yes, he is around true tuff guys all the time...but does the CEO feel the need to be considered a tough guy also? Same goes for Joe Rogan...Both these guys are hilarious when you see them together...Wild-eyed, bloated freaks...
So, yes Jon Jones had every right to say no...He needs to train up a particular way for each opponant - Dana is mad because he will have to pay Mandallay a few million....Wahhh!
@Marfach - have you not been paying attention to Baseball, Lance Armstrong, and the Olympics. I'm sorry but the "beast" has too much "backne" to not be doping. In fact I'd say about 60%, if not more, of all mixed martial artists are on the juice in some form or another. Open your eyes.
Sonnen should NOT have been even considered for the fight. He's done NOTHING at that weight class to have earned a shot at the title. He has his stupid pro-wrestler shtick, and Dana thinks he can sell that fight easily. Good for him. But if you want to be considered a legitimate sport, and not just another spectacle, then you'll make sure that guys EARN their spots with their performances in the sport, and not by how many twitter followers they have.