UFC 152 Update: Lyoto Machida Turns Down Title Shot, Vitor Belfort in Against Jones [Updated]
By Chris Leslie on August 24, 2012
This day just keeps getting stranger. On the same day the UFC scrapped the first official card in their history, the UFC has now named yet another replacement for the light heavyweight title fight with champion Jon Jones. Vitor Belfort will be moving back to light heavyweight to take on Jones for the title on September 22 in Toronto. MMAFighting first reported the news.
Former champ Lyoto Machida, who picked up the shot at “UFC on Fox 4,” turned down the opportunity to face Jones on short notice for the second time today. Machida, who did not expect a title shot for months, had been taking some time off after fighting on the August 4 card. UFC President Dana White stated that Machida would lose his title shot by turning down the bout.
Belfort, a former light heavyweight champion himself, quickly jumped at the chance. No replacement has been announced for Belfort’s previously scheduled UFC 153 bout with Alan Belcher. Belfort is 3-1 since returning to the UFC at UFC 103, the lone loss coming from middleweight champion Anderson Silva’s front headkick KO.
Belfort stated via twitter:
“I just finish the call with my boss @lorenzofertitta and @danawhite I want to thank [both] for put me in where a lot of guys are acting like divas I think this is a big challenge for any fighter that is alive [in] the game.”
UFC 152 will take place September 22 live from Toronto, Canada. The card will be co-headlined by the inaugural flyweight title bout between Demetrious Johnson and Joe Benavidez. The fight card will also showcase a middleweight fight between Brian Stann and Michael Bisping.
[UPDATE] While it has also been reported that Mauricio “Shogun” Rua was also offered the bout and declined, he would not have been able to accept due to his UFC on Fox 4 medical suspension [UPDATE]
[UPDATE] UFC President Dana White has stated that Belfort was given the shot over Chael Sonnen because that was a one-time offer for that fight and because it “wouldn’t feel right” after canceling an entire fight card at longtime partner Mandalay Bay” [UPDATE]
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I think this is smart by Machida
LMFAO…………what a drama.
Why don’t they get that Glover Teixeira guy.
or get the G.O.A.T A.S.S!
If Jones is a punk for turning down Chael on a week’s notice, what does this make Machida? Wow…
Smart
its completely different because Jones has already had a full training camp and was already scheduled to fight that week and would prob be way ahead of machida in training and getting in shape.But he still should’ve fought on the sept. 22nd card IMO.
I really agree that it is very smart for Lyoto to turn down the title shot, to stay out of the Jon Jones drama, I don’t blame the guy. I would LOVE to see Belfort knock out Jones, being the champ has obviously got to his head. Due to Sept 1st card being cancelled, a lot of undercard fighters who make 5,000 -10,000 a fight wont be able to have their bills payed due to the Jone Jones being selfish!
I am pissed on the whole drama as well but at the same time my question is why UFC pull such a weak card like if the main event is cancelled then the whole card is cancelled! I blame UFC for that.
On the other nite, both UFC and Jones can come together to pay the 5K-10K bills. Not a big deal at all for rich ppl/corporate like them. And I think at least UFC should do it if they care about their fighters. It’s not their fault, neither it’s Jones.
On the other note, say Jones take Sonnen fight and he loses to Sonnen somehow. What a bizzare situation will it be for him. Then lot of these ppl who are screaming against Jones will say Jones shouldn’t have taken this fight.
I like this. Vitor is a boss.
So Jones says in his statement he would fight Sonnen 9/22 and what does Dana do…give it to another guy coming of a loss instead.
Hopefully the Jones haters from before realize what a joke the whole situation is and stop blaming Jones for the UFC making a pathetic card no one cared about, besides the main event.
If the card isn’t good enough don’t make it a PPV put it on FX or whatever, that’s the way to gain new fans.
Vitor is coming off of a win?
He’s actually coming off 2 wins, I meant to say his loss was against Anderson.
I was more or less trying to shine light on the fact that Dana thinks Sonnen should get a title fight Sept. 1st but shouldn’t get one 11 days later.
It gets more and more ridiculous. No honor or integrity to be found anywhere. Oh Sonnen is when there are no other options but now he’s not. And now the guy who isn’t even top contender at his own weight class gets out. What a joke. Dana is a dead beat.
I pray that Belfort beats him.
If Bones is bad for not accepting the fight against Sonnen then the same logic says machida must be the biggest p***y ever.
This whole thing is a joke already just cancel the main event already!!! It’s happened on past main events just do it for this on
I think it’s hard to say jones is sh!t then say machida is smart for essentially the same decision. Unless you really hate jones and you really like machida.
I do agree with those that said the UFC/Dana white should shoulder at least some of the blame for putting together a weaker card especially with the high volume of injuries recently. If it were me I would try to have 3 big fights per ppv card.
Like I said before its is a completely different situation then jones not taking sonnen fight, Jones had an entire three month camp full of training all leading up to a match scheduled for Sept. 1st.
Machida would be that far behind in training and getting in shape.
We are talking about a champ who couldn’t have the scales more tipped in his favor with the Sonnen offer, but he still wouldnt take the fight. Who wants a champ who picks and choses when he fights who.
@kobe
I agree jones would have a huge advantage over either guy in terms of training camp, but as you said he couldn’t have a situation more in his favor than fighting sonnen. Which means machida wouldn’t be at the same disadvantage as sonnen and sonnen still took the fight. I disagree that it is a completely different situation– it is somewhat similar. My point was if jones is taking heat for ducking a fight (which I again agree with you he deserves to eat sh!t) then machida should also take just a little of the same, cause if the champion should fight anyone,anytime etc then why should the challenger not follow suit. It is smart by machida not to take the fight, other than he lost his title shot and will suffer the bad temper of DW.
I’m not trying to be argumentative just my 2 cents
I also read Anderson silva offered to save the card by fighting somebody at 205. But UFC had already cancelled it.
@MikemacI don’t think the champ should have to fight anyone anytime(that would be crazy), but I do think if he did have a full training camp then he should fight anyone and I would expect the same from Machida(i’m not playing favorites here).
Machida would be fighting a guy who already beat him, on three weeks training, and Jones will have had 3 1/2 to four months of training.
Ur making it sound like I said that chael HAD to take that fight, personally I think he is insane for that(but the man at the same time). Just because Sonnen is out of his mind doesn’t mean everyone else has to also have the urge to compete when they arent even in great shape.
Like Chael said on UFC tonight there is a HUGE difference between fighting on short notice and fighting a new opponent.
Jones wouldn’t be fighting on any short notice at all and Machida would be fighting on a months notice(which means three weeks training.)
Hey guys check out diazbrothers209 twitter– there is an awesome pic of chael in a nick Diaz quoted
t shirt. Awesome.
Damn, machida lost his shot, but if he fought jones and lost going 0-2 against jones, he might not ever get a title shot against jones again. Smarter for him to earn another title shot then fighting in a week to get his ass kicked even quicker. Jones was ready to fight, not taking sonnen was weak.
What they need is a co main as the same weight class as the title shot on cards like this. It worked out f
This cancellation turned out being a really good thing! Think about it – the lhw division seemingly became stagnant, and I was not looking forward to watching machida get his ass kicked by jones (hendo is great but jones was going to eat him..). I can finally not root for jones and hope vitor of the old comes out and gives it to him.
This would have been machidas best oppurtuniy to beat Jones. Huge mistake
While I understand why Jones didn’t take tge fight, I also see why he should have….he’s already been training for a wrestler (just not as aggressive a wrestler as Chael) and in Chael he does not have to worry about being knocked out!…If the UFC offered Jones to fight Machida, Shogun, Gustaffson, or Evans in 8 days time I would have agreed with him declining…but being offered Chael, or if he had been offered Forrest then he could have taken those 2 since he is already in fighting shape!
With that said it is entirely the fault of the UFC brass for putting all their chips into the main event and “having” to cancel the event…like when GSP/Condit didn’t happen so it ended up being Diaz/Penn or however that scenario was originally it ended working out well because it had good fights and didn’t rely solely on the main event…Jones doesnt owe anyone an apology for that!
Also I may be the in the minority here but to me the fairest thing to do would have been to offer Jones/Chael or anyone that’s really deserving of a title shot a non-title bout with Jones…..That way no matter how it turns the UFC could have reasons of why if for some reasons Jones lost it was because lack of training for said opponent and they could immediately sign a rematch for the title and have full camps for that fight
And I understand now after everything that UFC wants to prolly somewhat “punish” Jones and make damn sure he fights soon, but to give Vitor a title shot just doesn’t make any sense since he is not filling in an for an injured fighter on that card….creating a whole new fight on a whole new card a full month later against a fighter who hasn’t fought at 205 in years (& isnt named Anderson Silva) just doesn’t make shit for sense to me…..if UFC couldnt convince Machida to fight Sept 22 then it should have been offered to Shogun, then Gustaffson, then Forrest, or even a rematch with Rashad would make more since for a completely new fight with a full month to prepare than a fight with Vitor at this point
Watch, Vitor is gonna get injured within a weeks time. LMAO
Vitor is garbage. He won’t last 1 round.
Booo. This sucks. Take some time and put on a proper fight dana.
@Doug_H
You’re absolutely right. Its nice to see some people still in existence. Off course it makes no sense to put vitor on there for the same reason out made no sense to put Sonnen on there – because they are both 185ers who don’t even deserve title fight at their own eight class let alone 205. But the Ufc brass are more concerned with being promoters and making money than the integrity of the sport. Then to top it off they bash their star and blame him.
What clowns the Ufc bosses are.
Sure they can offer bones the Sonnen fight, but he would be dumb as f**k to take it considering how much better Sonnens MMA wrestling is, and how much bones would stand to lose. And the fact is he doesn’t have to take out. Then after he doesn’t accept the fight the Ufc should’ve been able to rearrange the card, but they couldn’t cuz it was do poorly planned.
Now they continue their antics by creating yet again another random fight, only for the sake of making money and not at all because a 205 title fight was deserved or in order between these two.
*sane people
Chael vs Bones would have been a great fight in my eyes. Now that bones turned down the fight i dislike him even more!!
Im sure it bothers him a lot waffle that you dislike him even more…….LOL
alexander gustuffson