Fight Club: UFC 151 Debacle May Cost Jones More Than Money
By BOB EMANUEL JR. | Scripps Howard News Service
On Aug. 21, Jon Jones engaged members of the national media with his boast of becoming a true businessman on a conference call to promote his upcoming bout against Dan Henderson.
Two days later, the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s light heavyweight champion made a decision that sparked a chain of events that led to the cancellation of Saturday’s UFC 151 event.
“I always laugh when I hear a fighter say, ‘I’m a businessman.’ No, you’re not,” UFC president Dana White said. “You’re a fighter.”
Jones’ scheduled opponent, former Strikeforce and PRIDE champion Dan Henderson, injured the medial collateral ligament in his right knee and was ruled out of the fight. The UFC tried to save the event, and several options were discussed for Jones’ opponent. Top contender Lyoto Machida was en route to Brazil and unavailable. After numerous calls, former middleweight top contender Chael Sonnen, who lost to Anderson Silva July 7, volunteered to take the fight.
But the efforts were for naught.
“The one thing that I never thought in a million years happened,” White said. “Jon Jones said, ‘I’m not fighting Chael Sonnen on eight days notice.’ Again, something’s that never happened in UFC history, a guy who’s a world champion and considered one of the pound-for-pound best turns down a fight.”
White said he explained to Jones that his refusal to fight Sonnen would result in the cancellation of the event, and he called the decision “selfish” and “disgusting.”
Many of the undercard fights scheduled for Saturday were shifted to future events, but the financial hit of the cancelation is “huge,” according to White. Based on the financial results of past events, upwards of $20 million went down the drain with the loss of the gate, pay-per-view sales and other event-related revenue.
Jones’ decision resulted in a public backlash against him and could affect his marketability going forward. He issued an apology for the decision to cancel UFC 151 through his Twitter feed.
“Carrying the cross for my company’s decision,” he wrote. “If someone has to take the blame, I will accept full responsibility for the way UFC 151 was canceled. I want to sincerely apologize to all the other athletes/fans who’s (sic) time and money was waisted (sic). I feel terrible about the way that was handled.”
Jones will now shift his attention to Sept. 22, when he will defend the title against Vitor Belfort.
Jones may no longer be No. 1 in the public’s eyes after he bowed out of Saturday’s UFC 151 event.
UFC photo
