If there is but one winner rising from the ashes of what would have been UFC 151, it’s Chael Sonnen. When UFC President Dana White said that Sonnen had accepted a fight with UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones on a little over a week’s notice, the polarizing wrestler was lauded for his willingness to take on the champ, while Jones’ declining to take the bout saw him criticized and jeered by fans and fighters alike.
Shortly after the announcement of UFC 151′s cancelation, ESPN got ahold of the man from the mean streets of West Linn, Oregon to comment on the situation with Jones. In typical Chael fashion, “The American Gangster” ripped into his would-be opponent; “I just don’t know why he won’t fight me next Saturday, I mean what else does he have to do? Is there like a wine tasting at the local racetrack or something I haven’t heard about?”
Sonnen continued by praising his former teammate and friend Dan Henderson for trying to tough out an injury to face Jones, “Dan Henderson was on one leg and did everything he could to still make that date.” Immediately taking another jab at “Bones”, Sonnen called him out by saying “Dan Henderson was willing to do on one leg what Jon Jones, who’s healthy, isn’t willing to do.”
Chael P. did show a level of compassion for the fighters on the undercard, however, claiming he would have given Jones his purse so that that fight can go on, ”just so that the guys on the undercard who haven’t been at this, this long, that are counting on their $5,000 and $10,000 paychecks to make their mortgage and car payments next month, could have a job next week.”
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I’m starting to like chael
Well no one says it better than Chael…
Thanks for the video.
Doesn’t matter what Sonnen says, he’s nothing but a rank opportunist. Let him actually win a couple of fights at 205 (starting with Forrest) and then he can talk…
sonnen’s ego is endless, but i do feel sorry for the undercard fighters.
You gotta give out to him, no one ruins the haters day more than Sonnen. I think it was a crime even offering him the title fight, but i still love to see him represent despite all the haters (which seem to become less and less every day).
If it was a crime then who would you have put there in place of chael to fight Jones on short notice?
Btw i think Dana and the Ufc are squarely to blame for the loss of this event. It was there choice to make the rest of this card do week. We can’t blame everything on Bones just because he didn’t wanna take this horrible (for him) fight on eight days notice.
@devin
It’s not their fault Jones didn’t want to fight, which is the only reason this event was cancelled. The people paid to see a top 3 PFP fighter defend his light heavyweight title, not for an undercard bout to main event it instead. When you’re supposed to be be one of the greatest, you should be able to be trusted with headlining a card, unless your unable to, do to injury or personal problems.
Jones didn’t want to because he didn’t like the fact in taking a fight on short notice, since he wasn’t preparing for anyone else but Henderson. Whoever took that fight would be preparing for Jon just as much and long as Jon would of been preparing for them, so there’s no disadvantage there. If anything Jones has an advantage since he’s been preparing for that card and he’d be in fight shape, when his opponent wouldn’t.
He’s a selfish prick for pulling out and that event was cancelled because of him, not the UFC. If Jones didn’t pull out, than there would still be card, so it’s because of him why this event’s not happening and why a bunch of people are suffering, not because of Dana and the UFC.
Completely agree. I don’t know why everybody is blaming Dana White and UFC, with their “stick it to the man” type comments. You said it pretty clear and if somebody has a rebuttal, they love Jones a little too much.
Chael is priceless with the driving jokes! BTW what real light heavy could make 205 at this very moment probably none. Chael probably would have lost but at least he was man enough to get in there and get beat. Jones has lost all my respect and I will not order a ppv he is on ever again.
I hope Nike drops his sponsorship for this, he chose to drop out of a fight. Chael almost said it right, Just do it? JBJ will eventually make a statement and it’s nothing more than an excuse. JBJ – Won’t do it.
@Five-Alive
Well i respectfully disagree. An event has never once been scrapped ever. true there’s never been a situation this exact circumstance but still it proves that the rest of the card was so horrendous today had no choice but to actually cancel it which is mind blowing. I understand Bones could of made it easy and accepted it and the event would go on but I cannot blame him for turning down a fight with a guy who just lost the 185 pound title fight and who has never won a fight in the UFC at 205. Bones has everything to lose in this and absolutely nothing to gain. sure you could consider it chicken for him to turn down the fight but you cannot squarely blame him for turning down a fight which a) he did not ever sign a contract to fight b) would have to take on 8 days notice and c) in which the opponent brings no credit to the table and frankly doesn’t even deserve the fight.
He had put on too much hard work to risk out on a fight in this manner where he has nothing to gain, and of he happened to lose would cost him so many hundreds of thousands of dollars potentially. Personally i give him credit for standing by his integrity on this one, even when the Ufc won’t. And this is coming from someone who is a huge Sonnen apologist, and frankly not a fan of Bones.
You could call Bones a wuss for not taking the fight, but you cannot blame him one bit for this event getting disgustingly canceled for an injury to his opponent a week before the fight. Of anything its appalling the Ufc is blaming him whatsoever for their business. If anything its their fault for not having a contingency plan. IMO.
@devin
If the fighters deliver, than the card isn’t horrendous. It just needed a good main event, which it had, until the champ pulled out by no fault of the UFC.
Who gives a sh*t who it was against. Jones didn’t turn down the fight because of who it was against, he turned it down because of the time he had to prepare. His opponent and him get just as much time to prepare for each other, so it’s all fair. You didn’t see Shogun turn down Jones when Rashad got hurt, that’s very selfish to do something like that.
I’m not saying Jones is a wuss, I don’t know where you’re getting that from. What I’m saying is he’s an egotistical immature young adult who needs a wake up call. He believes that he should be treated extra special since he’s the champ and he should only have to fight when he feels is right. You can’t always get what you want and that’s what this immature prick is trying to do and it’s because of that why this event is cancelled, not because of the UFC.
The UFC did everything they could to save it, but it’s because of self-centred Jon Jones why it wasn’t. If Jones would of taken this fight, I guarantee you the UFC would of done him great favours for it. He’s supposed to be the best 205 pound an top 3 PFP in the world, he should be able to take on anyone at 205, when he’s in fight shape and they both have the same amount of time to prepare for each other.
It’s stupid to say someone has nothing to gain in a fight. No matter who you are and who you’re fighting, you always have something to gain. What does Jones have to gain? Another win, another title defence and money. The same thing he would of gained no matter who he fought.
@devin
Also, Anderson Silva offered to save that event but was too late. If the Spider was willing to take a fight against someone on 8 days notice, there’s no reason why Jon “Business Man” Jones can’t.
@five-alive
With all due respect, look at your first paragraph man. Its not even factually true.. Bones signed a contract to fight Dan Henderson next Sat, and his opponent got hurt a week before the fight. So saying he pulled out is purely false. He is the champ and earned the right to turn down a terrible scenario (for him, and a dream scenario for Sonnen).
Shogun fought Bones on full notice and it was arguable that bones was next best contender. That stands absolutely no comparison to this.
Bro, the card absolutely sucked. If it didn’t then the Ufc could throw Sonnen verse whoever in there and go on with it (which makes more sense to me than canceling the whole thing but that’s another story). But they can’t, , because its that bad. Obviously…because the canceled it. Freaking Jay Heiron is basically in the co main event…i mean come on. Off anything this can only be blamed terrible luck and partly on the Ufc for not preparing for what has become the most predictable trend.
In Jay Hieron’s last 12 fights he has only lost to Ben Askrew, the Bellator champion. While most UFC fans won’t know who he is, he is still one helluva fighter and would have brought it(not saying you are just a UFC fan, you have proven you know what you are talking about. You just need to join the forums :) ). I was very much looking forward to that fight since it would be a rematch for Ellenberger. Now I’ll just have to wait a bit longer.
I’m still kinda p!ssed at Jones for not taking a fight and for the entire 151 card being scrapped, whether it be Jones, UFC, Henderson, etc fault or not. The guys that fight for 6K, 10K a fight and the fans that dumped money into traveling for this event are the one’s being impacted the most.
Time heals and everyone will be back on track. Fans will again root for Jones, he11 people love Michael Vick and he’s the biggest POS out there. This is a black eye for the UFC, but it will heal and they will continue to strive to become one the greatest sporting events in the world.
@devin
Sure it’s “factually true”. After Henderson got injured, Jones decided to pull out of the event, instead of accepting a fight on short notice. Maybe you didn’t read it clearly the first time, but it’s not because of the opponent it’s because of the time, even though he’s facing no disadvantages… which is “factually true”.
No, Shogun fought Jones on short notice, which is “factually true”.
It doesn’t matter how the card looked, if it delivered it wouldn’t of sucked and that’s “factually true”.
Sonnen vs. Whoever isn’t the same as Jones defending hit belt. Plus, Jones was in fighting shape, Sonnen and whoever weren’t, which is “factually true”.
With injuries, no event close enough to 151, and the main attraction not willing to perform, they weren’t able to make a bran new main event, “which is factually true”.
One of those 3 things would of brought a new main event and as long as 1 of those 3 options were available than the event shouldn’t get cancelled. 1 of those 3 was available, which was “the main attraction not willing to perform”, “which is factually true”.
The only thing the UFC did wrong was put their trust in Jon Jones. Now they know for next time that he can’t be trusted, which is “factually true”.
p.s.- You and I have different views on this. I’m not going to change mine and you’re probably not going to change yours, so that’s the end of it. If you want to chat more, than come over to the forums. If not, than continue to enjoy the main page.
hieron has been on the lucky end of some pretty bad decisions
@five-alive
I just said your first paragraph was not factually true (which i think is redundant? Lol) but shogun did have more than a week notice. Anyway my point its that bones signed to fight hendo and he got hurt and there for bones want obligIated to fight. I don’t even particularly like bones, but it was not his fault Hendo got hurt and out was not his fault the card got canceled due to it being so poor outside of the main event. Which is another thing that isn’t exactly factually true lol because if the card was good they would’ve not canned it. Anyway i know what you mean err both have our own views and i think were both pretty thoughtful in them so its not like were gonna debate each other into submission, but i do respect your views totally.
@devin
Same sh*t different pile. Shogun still took the fight on short notice, Jones didn’t.
I’m not denying and I never did deny that the event was lacking star power. I’m saying if the card delivered, then a bunch of people wouldn’t be complaining about it being weak, “which is factually true”.
I made my own thread over at the forums about the cancellation of UFC 151. If you want my full opinion about this subject, than go read it.
Once again, If you want to chat more, than come over to the forums. If not, than continue to enjoy the main page. Also, enjoy next Saturdays UFC event… Oh yeah, there isn’t one.