UFC 151
| Company type | Sporting event |
|---|---|
| Industry | Mixed martial arts |
| Founded | September 1, 2012 |
| Fate | Cancelled |
| Headquarters | Las Vegas, Nevada , United States |
| Products | Mixed martial arts event |
UFC 151: Jones vs. Henderson was an Ultimate Fighting Championship event scheduled for September 1, 2012, at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. The main attraction was to feature a UFC Light Heavyweight Championship contest between reigning champion Jon Jones and former PRIDE FC and Strikeforce titleholder Dan Henderson. Nevertheless, the event was called off on August 23 after Henderson withdrew because of injury and Jones refused to face replacement fighter Chael Sonnen.
Background
The matchup between Thiago Tavares and Dennis Hallman, originally set for UFC 150, was rescheduled to take place at this event on July 12, 2012.
Jake Ellenberger was slated to fight Josh Koscheck, but Koscheck pulled out due to a back injury. Veteran Jay Hieron returned to replace him.
Cancellation
Dana White announced on August 23 that Henderson had suffered a partial tear of his medial collateral ligament (MCL), forcing him out of the bout. Subsequently, UFC 151 became the first event in UFC history to be cancelled after Jon Jones declined to accept a short-notice fight against Chael Sonnen, who had agreed to step in with only eight days' preparation time. Initially, White indicated that Jones would defend his title against Lyoto Machida at UFC 152 and that UFC 151 would be scrapped. However, Machida also declined the short-notice opportunity, prompting the UFC to select former Light Heavyweight Champion Vitor Belfort as Jones’ opponent at UFC 152.
Early reports hinted that UFC 152 might be renamed UFC 151, but Zuffa confirmed that UFC 152 would retain its designation and that UFC 151 was officially considered a "lost show." At that moment, middleweight champion Anderson Silva offered to save the card by fighting any light heavyweight other than Jones, while contender Chris Weidman also volunteered to face Jones; unfortunately, both offers came after cancellation procedures had already been initiated.
Dana White attributed the cancellation primarily to Jones and his coach Greg Jackson, who advised against accepting Sonnen’s late replacement challenge, calling it the "biggest mistake of [his] entire career." Conversely, some commentators faulted the UFC for consistently promoting events with weak fight cards amid a busy schedule, which reduces the pool of available substitutes when injuries arise. Gregg Doyel of CBS Sports argued that White’s management of UFC 151 highlighted the necessity for a fighters' union, stating: "...the flimsy card fell apart. This was the UFC's fault. This was UFC president Dana White's fault." Dan Henderson also faced criticism after it was revealed he had been injured three weeks prior but chose not to disclose it while hoping to compete.