Dana White had been singing Jon Jones’ praises for months on end. “Jones is the best pound-for-pound fighter,” declared the UFC CEO, beaming like a proud parent. But hold on to your hats, fight fans. The winds of change are blowing through the UFC offices. White’s tune has suddenly shifted, revealing a surprising crack in his admiration for Jones.
His beef with Jones stems back to 2012 when the fighter was asked to fight Chael Sonnen on short notice but refused. White was furious, and the event was canceled, the first in UFC history. Fast-forward to today. White’s still steaming about it.
“Jon Jones is always been willing to fight everybody. The only real mark with me and Jon Jones and his f***** team that he was with that time, the Chael Sonnen fight. When they refusing to fight Chael Sonnen,” said White at the recent DWCS press conference.
A bit of backstory here. Back in 2012, the UFC was gearing up for a big event at UFC 151. Jones was set to defend his light heavyweight title against Dan Henderson. Then, disaster struck as Henderson got injured and had to pull out.
The UFC scrambled to find a replacement. The silver-tongued challenger, Chael Sonnen, was ready to step up on short notice. But ‘Bones’ and his team refused the fight. Their reason was they wanted more time to prepare. This soured White’s relationship with Greg Jackson, Jones’s coach, but his bond with Jones remained solid.
Greg Jackson Defends His Decision To Not Let Jon Jones Fight Chael Sonnen On Short Notice
Coach Jackson is known for his strategic brilliance and has guided many fighters to glory. But one fateful day in 2012, he found himself in the eye of a storm. It all started with UFC 151 when Jon Jones’ opponent, Dan Henderson, got injured just days before the fight.
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Dana White scrambled to find a replacement and called up Chael Sonnen. ‘The American Gangster’ agreed to step up on short notice. Problem solved. But Greg Jackson had some other plans.
“It was actually three days notice; it’s not eight days’ notice because you don’t train the last week of a fight camp. That’s when you do media and weight cutting. When I was asked if fighting Sonnen for a world title on three days’ notice was a smart idea, I said no,” said Jackson via MMAWeekly.com.
Jackson advised Jon Jones not to take the fight. He believed it was too risky. This decision set off a chain reaction that nobody saw coming. Dana White exploded like a volcano and canceled the entire event. It was unprecedented in UFC history, and White dubbed Jackson a “sport killer.” Their relationship hasn’t been the same since then.
Also Read: Sean O’Malley Picks Islam Makhachev As MMA’s GOAT Over Jon Jones
