UFC 151 Canceled: Jones–Henderson Fight Collapses
UFC 151 was scheduled for September 1, 2012, at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, but the event never took place. Dan Henderson withdrew from his planned light heavyweight title challenge against Jon Jones after suffering a knee injury. The UFC offered Chael Sonnen as a short-notice replacement, Jones declined the matchup, and the promotion canceled the entire card.
Promotional video: the originally planned Jones–Henderson event.
Henderson’s injury removes the scheduled challenger
Jones was scheduled to defend the UFC light heavyweight championship against Henderson. In training, Henderson suffered a partial tear of the medial collateral ligament in his right knee. The injury forced him out of the title fight only days before the event.
Sonnen accepts; Jones declines the short-notice change
The UFC searched for a replacement and Chael Sonnen agreed to face Jones on eight days’ notice. Jones declined the proposed matchup. Without a viable replacement main event, UFC president Dana White announced that the promotion would cancel the full card.
The cancellation was unprecedented for the modern UFC. Fighters scheduled throughout the lineup lost their September 1 event date and had to be reassigned to later cards.
What happened next
Jones was moved to UFC 152 in Toronto and defended the title against Vitor Belfort. Henderson returned to competition in 2013. Sonnen later moved back to light heavyweight and ultimately challenged Jones at UFC 159 after coaching opposite him on The Ultimate Fighter.
Because UFC 151 was canceled, there are no official UFC 151 bout results, winners, stoppage times, or performance bonuses. The advertised matchups should be treated only as planned fights.
Planned UFC 151 main event
- Jon Jones vs. Dan Henderson — UFC light heavyweight championship; canceled after Henderson’s knee injury.
- Chael Sonnen was proposed as a short-notice replacement opponent for Jones; the replacement fight was not accepted and did not occur.
The cancellation followed Henderson’s withdrawal, a failed offer to replace him with Sonnen, and Jones’s refusal to accept the short-notice matchup. Explore more of our MMA coverage.
Sources
- UFC: UFC 151 cancellation and UFC 152 replacement plans
- UFC: Henderson injury and UFC 151 cancellation announcement
Article Tags
UFC 151, UFC Results, MMA History, Canceled: Jones–Henderson Fight Collapses
