Dana White Cancels UFC 151

**CNagy** · Posted On: 8/24/2012 6:11am

Dana is reaping what he has sown. He shouldn't have assumed so much; assumed that he could make Jones v. Hendo the only fight on the card with real drawing power, assumed that Jones (who, up until this point, has been a good company man) would fight anyone Dana put in front of him with no questions asked. Hell, he shouldn't have assumed that he could keep on having his sports entertainment cake (sure, Sonnen draws viewers, but in what world does he deserve a title shot in a heavier division, when his greatest credentials are losing to Anderson Silva twice?) and also push the UFC as a serious professional sport. "Sorry guys, the Patriots came down with a stomach bug, so the big game will now be the Giants v. the Dolphins."

Yeah, it does suck for everyone else further down the card. I think only 3 or 4 of the fights have been confirmed as moved to other events. Again, thank Dana White; it's his responsibility that the show go on. He probably could have found a main event somewhere in the roster, but without Jones UFC 151 would probably not be worth having, financially, since he'd almost certainly have to offer refunds and could expect the PPV numbers to tank. He made the decision to cancel the event rather than salvage it, and he (and the matchmakers) made it so damn hard to salvage in the first place.

Jon Jones is an easy scapegoat, though, and Greg Jackson has already garnered hatred in some corners for his advocating a smart strategy (or track strategy, if you prefer). Blaming them allows Dana to keep from admitting that he fucked up, and since Jones is still a huge draw and Jackson is still the trainer of current and past champions, they don't actually suffer from being thrown under the bus here.

**Vorpal** · Posted On: 8/24/2012 7:06am

Thanks Jones, now I'm going to have to hear Chael talking about you ducking him for the next twenty years. BTW, Jones didn't take the fight because he was afraid he was going to lose, period.

**Hiro Protagonist** · Posted On: 8/24/2012 7:33am

I wonder if the other UFC fighters were indeed insured against the cancelation of the event. Because, if they were not, I imagine so many people will like to poop into Jones' moccachino during the next Fighter's Summit that the glass will spill over.

**Devil** · Posted On: 8/24/2012 8:07am

What the ****, Lyoto? I hope he never gets another title shot. How do you turn down a chance to become champion? Shots at the belt don't just come along every day. If you get the shot, take it. It's high risk, but also high reward. What's up with all these supposed BAMFs acting like a bunch of timid bitches all of a sudden?

Speaking of risk vs. reward....I'm enjoying the hell out of the irony here. Jones said he didn't want to fight Machida again because he's high risk, low reward. So he ends up with Belfort instead - in a fight where Jones has nothing to gain and Belfort has nothing to lose. lol.

***Tranquil Suit*** · Posted On: 8/24/2012 8:11am

Apparently Anderson Silva offered to fight Jones on short notice, but it was already a few hours after Dana announced the cancellation.

Personally, I don't think that'd be a great idea. A mega fight like that would need way more build up time. Otherwise it's such a missed opportunity.

**Devil** · Posted On: 8/24/2012 8:20am

You know, I can't stand Anderson Silva. But he's ready to put it all on the line against a guy who would dwarf him on fight night. I respect that.

**Shawarma** · Posted On: 8/24/2012 8:21am

Agree with Tranq and Devil. Machida, a top-level fighter, gets gifted a golden opportunity to pay Jones back for his earlier humiliation and turns it down? I'd like to hear his justification for doing that. Jones can afford himself to be a bit picky as he IS the supremely dominant champion, but Machida should be willing to sell his left testicle for another title shot.

Jones vs Silva would be cool as all hells, but a matchup of that size shouldn't be done in 8 days. Whoever lost, his fans would whine for bloody years about how it was "just because he took the fight on short notice!" All efforts should be made to eliminate possible controversies in that matchup.

**Devil** · Posted On: 8/24/2012 8:33am

I feel like I'm in the Twilight Zone or something. **** is getting weird. Just read Lance Armstrong now has zero Tour de France wins. Odd week for sports.

**CNagy** · Posted On: 8/24/2012 9:38am

Actually, Anderson Silva offered to save the event by fighting any LHW that wasn't Jon Jones.

I can sort of see where Machida is coming from. He wouldn't want to take a fight on short notice against Jones, he'd want a full camp with a heavy emphasis on wrestling. Machida is close to title contention (after all this, Dana White said something to the effect that Machida is 1 win away from a title shot.) If the Dragon were at the bottom of the ladder, then sure, take the short notice fight. But when you are right there near the top, why go in unprepared?

***Tranquil Suit*** · Posted On: 8/24/2012 9:40am

Originally Posted by Shawarma

Machida, a top-level fighter, gets gifted a golden opportunity to pay Jones back for his earlier humiliation and turns it down? I'd like to hear his justification for doing that. Jones can afford himself to be a bit picky as he IS the supremely dominant champion, but Machida should be willing to sell his left testicle for another title shot.

Well it's barely a half training camp before ufc152. But really, Lyoto is just trying to 1-up Jones on the '**** you, Dana' scale. I'm kinda hoping that this whole fiasco will cause fighters to **** with the UFC a lot more, at least when it's in their own best interest.

Originally Posted by CNagy

Actually, Anderson Silva offered to save the event by fighting any LHW that wasn't Jon Jones.

Heh, maybe I really do have trouble reading.