UFC 151 Media Call: Jon Jones Says “No One’s Invincible”, Believes He’ll Be the First to Stop Dan Henderson
With less than two weeks to go before UFC Light-Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones takes on MMA legend Dan Henderson, the UFC held a media call today to further promote the compelling fight.
Jones (16-1) will look to further entrench his superstar status on September 1st, which has been considerably heightened due to the fact the fighter has defeated four former champions in a row. Since last March, Jones has scored wins over “Shogun” Rua, Lyoto Machida, “Rampage” Jackson and Rashad Evans.
Henderson (29-8) has worked his way into a title fight thanks to a four fight run, which includes victories over former UFC champ “Shogun” Rua and former PRIDE champion Fedor Emelianenko.
Both Henderson and Jones were on today’s call, as was UFC President Dana White. Here were some of the highlights.
When asked if he believes this could be Dan Henderson’s last shot at a title, White said “who knows,” before comparing the fighter to fellow legend Randy Couture, who also continued to fight at a championship level well into his 40’s.
White added “whether Dan wins or loses he’s a hall-of-famer”
Henderson wouldn’t state outright whether he believes he can take Jones to the mat, by stating “we’ll see what happens”.
Jones dismissed the notion that his chin hasn’t been tested and cited his bout with Lyoto Machida as evidence.
When asked how he believes the upcoming pay-per-view will sell, Jones relayed he thinks it will sell well, before White echoed those sentiments.
White also stressed that Henderson “is a true threat” and that he believes far too many people are underestimating the former PRIDE champ’s chances.
Jones agreed that too many people are overlooking Henderson, before relaying that his “priorities are straight” and that he’s not “overlooking” the 42 year-old.
White agreed that Henderson deserves consideration in any “greatest of all time” discussion, and that the amount of “disrespect” the fighter has received is “ridiculous.”
Jones confirmed that he’ll be wearing NIKE apparel at UFC 151 but that it won’t be from his personal signature line. NIKE recently announced that it had signed a promotional deal with the light-heavyweight champion.
Jones relayed “beating Dan Henderson is very, very important to me. He beat one of my idols, Fedor Emelianenko.”
Henderson said for him, the UFC 151 storyline is more about “different styles,” rather than the mainstream narrative which has focused on the difference in age between the fighters.
Jones said “no one’s invincible”, when asked if he can be the first man to finish Henderson, and that he’s confident he’ll “finish the job.”
When asked to evaluate Henderson’s wrestling ability, Jones relayed that “Shogun” Rua took him down at ease” and that he has no doubt that he’ll be able to take the decorated wrestler to the mat.
When asked to respond, Henderson stated “it’s not a wrestling match” and that in a “MMA match it’s about who’s the best fighter.”
Jones said “I fight for honor, integrity and to be the best”, but at the same time, “I fight for my family”. The champion cited preparing for retirement and college funds for his children, as to reasons why he carefully monitors the financial aspect of his career.
Jones added “I don’t apologize for being business savvy and looking at pay-per-view sales.” The fighter recently relayed that his bout with Machida was the worst drawing PPV of his 2011 schedule.
Henderson admitted that he “always pays attention” to the pay-per-view numbers and that “it’s been nice to have a solid job” during a period of economic uncertainty.
UFC 151 will be hosted by the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.