When Jon Jones refused a last minute replacement of Chael Sonnen following Dan Henderson’s announcement of a knee injury, and UFC 151 was cancelled, UFC President Dana White laid the blame forcefully on Jones. The light heavyweight champion quickly became “the most hated man in MMA.”
Jones took to Twitter, and made the case that the root cause of the cancellation was not his refusal to fight Sonnen, but rather Henderson’s holding back for two weeks about his knee injury.
@bladerballer
@JonnyBones Hendo injured 3+ weeks ago?!!? Who carries the blame now?
Jon Bones Jones @JonnyBones
Glad you guys are opening up your eyes
Jon Bones Jones @JonnyBones
Dan Henderson Got Hurt 3 Weeks Ago http://www.opposingviews.com/i/sports/boxingmma/dan-henderson-got-hurt-3-weeks-ago…
Aaron Kuehn @AaronDKuehn
Thanks to @JonnyBones I have no plans tonight….
Jon Bones Jones @JonnyBones
Thanks to the old man and his knee I don’t either
This served only to fan the flames of fan disconent.
However, in an interview on FUEL TV, White notably softened on Jones, and indicated that Henderson’s holding out on the injury did indeed contribute to the cancellation.
Dan Henderson knew two weeks before the fight,” said White. “Two weeks before he told me he was injured, he knew. And if he had given me those two weeks, like he should have, this fight might have happened.
While stating empatically that he had no regrets whatsoever” about putting Jones and his trainer Greg Jackson on blast, White adopted a more understanding and collegial tone, although he noted they had not talked since the incident.
I’ve got no animosity towards Jones,” said White. “We’ll find out how our relationship is as we move on. This thing is a little weird. It’s never happened before.
Jon is a young guy and he’s made mistakes that young people make. Who doesn’t at his age? If I went back to being 23 years old with a ton of fame and a ton of money, that’s when you make all your mistakes. The great thing about making your mistakes in your 20s is by the time you’ve established yourself in your late 20s and 30s, you’ve already made all your mistakes and you can conduct yourself the way you should.
I give Jon Jones a lot of slack. The guy is young. I’m never going to tell you because Jon Jones didn’t fight in 151 that he’s a terrible fighter. He’s a phenomenal fighter. Anyone who’s watched the UFC long enough and knows my personality, they know how I am.
Anyone who’s watched the UFC long enough and knows my personality, they know how I am. I’ve dealt with the baddest dudes in the world for the last 12 years, and that’s what I like doing. I like fighters. I like how they think.
“They can be a little hard to deal with, but that’s part of the game.
As for trainer Greg Jackson, White softened not at all.
“He’s definitely to blame, too, but there’s never been a case, ever, in UFC history, where a guy didn’t step up and take a fight. I had pretty good reason to be upset.
“I just think, the Greg Jackson stuff.. this guy… this is my philosophy on trainers, too: You need a good trainer, a guy who’s gonna be there for you, who can kind of keep you in line and keep you training and everything else. But trainers don’t make fighters. Talented fighters make trainers, and that’s a fact.
“The thing you have to understand about Greg Jackson, too, and I’ll say it again, I said it before, this guy’s a businessman. First and foremost, before anything, this guy is a businessman. He built a business.
“‘We’re a family.’ That’s what he kept telling Rashad Evans and Jon, so they wouldn’t fight, because ‘we’re a family.’ I told Rashad and Jon, ‘He’s not your family. Greg Jackson is not your family member, okay? If things go bad for you, tomorrow, Brother Greg isn’t gonna be there for you. Is he gonna pay your bills? Is he gonna take care of your family? Your real family? No, he’s not.’
“And, you saw, when it came down to it, when push came to shove, who did Greg Jackson pick? He picked Jon Jones, the guy that he believed would beat Rashad. That’s a fact. That’s a business. He’s a businessman.”
