White

By FCF Staff

As soon as UFC President Dana White announced on today’s media call that the promotion had been forced to cancel its upcoming September 1^st event in Las Vegas, Nevada, likely everyone on the line knew that fiery statements were forthcoming.

According to the upset White, Jon Jones has refused to fight Chael Sonnen on eight days notice, after Dan Henderson was forced to withdraw due to a partially torn MCL. White claims that Sonnen was the promotion’s only viable option as a replacement at this juncture, and because of Jones’s decision, the event has been cancelled.

Although Jones has not returned a signed bout agreement yet, White is reporting that the UFC Light-Heavyweight Champion will fight former champ Lyoto Machida, at the promotion’s September 22^nd event in Toronto, Ontario.

Here were some of the call’s highlights.

White said cancelling the event “is one of my all time lows.”

The UFC President said “for someone to fight Jon Jones on 8 eight days notice is tough to do” but “one guy” in Chael Sonnen accepted the fight.

White said that as of last night the promotion thought it had a new main event, were working on new commercials, before the UFC President was informed by Jones that he would not fight Sonnen.

According to White, Greg Jackson told Jones to not fight Sonnen on short notice. An angry White called Jackson a “sport killer.”

White relayed that Henderson will be out for a little while but doesn’t need surgery. He added that the 42 year-old vet has problems with lateral movement.

UFC President said Jones is the “first champion to ever turn down a match.”

UFC 152 in Toronto will now become UFC 151.

When asked to clarify if Jones turned down the fight because of Jackson’s advice, White said “that’s exactly why he didn’t take the fight.”

White said he “doesn’t know” if Henderson is guaranteed a title shot when he returns, citing “things can happen.”

White said he “was never crazy” about the promotion’s sponsorship deal with Jones, but added that he’s the “wrong guy” to ask about the deal.

White dismissed any notion that Sonnen perhaps had some knowledge that Henderson was going to withdraw from the fight. The former middleweight, who is moving to light-heavyweight, called out Jones recently.

The UFC President said cancelling the event at this juncture means that the promotion will lose “sh—t loads of money.”

White said he “and Lorenzo (Fertitta) are disgusted” with Jones.

White conceded that he did not want to give Sonnen a title shot, but because of the predicament the promotion was in, they offered him the fight.

UFC President warned that if Jones turns down the fight with Machida, “we’ll be having another media call” and “it won’t be good.”

White said Jones did not ask for more money to fight Sonnen.

White called Jones’s decision “selfish, citing the effects the event’s cancellation will have on the card’s other scheduled competitors as well as the promotion.

An angry White said “Jackson should never be interviewed again by anybody except a psychiatrist.”