Dana White Opens Up On Cancellation Of UFC 151
Posted on Sep 6, 2012
By Chris Howie
MMANEWS.COM Staff Writer

Dana White was a guest on FUEL TV's UFC Tonight this week and opened up on the topic of UFC 151 being cancelled and how he feels about all parties involved since it happened.

White also sends some of the blame towards Dan Henderson for not letting him know about the injury earlier. Check it out:

“Dan Henderson knew two weeks before the fight," said White. "Two weeks before he told me he was injured, he knew. And if he had given me those two weeks, like he should have, this fight might have happened.”

“I’ve got no animosity towards Jones," said White. "We’ll find out how our relationship is as we move on. This thing is a little weird. It’s never happened before.

“Jon is a young guy and he’s made mistakes that young people make. Who doesn’t at his age? If I went back to being 23 years old with a ton of fame and a ton of money, that’s when you make all your mistakes. The great thing about making your mistakes in your 20s is by the time you’ve established yourself in your late 20s and 30s, you’ve already made all your mistakes and you can conduct yourself the way you should.”

“I give Jon Jones a lot of slack. The guy is young. I’m never going to tell you because Jon Jones didn’t fight in 151 that he’s a terrible fighter. He’s a phenomenal fighter. Anyone who’s watched the UFC long enough and knows my personality, they know how I am.

“Anyone who’s watched the UFC long enough and knows my personality, they know how I am. I’ve dealt with the baddest dudes in the world for the last 12 years, and that’s what I like doing. I like fighters. I like how they think.

"They can be a little hard to deal with, but that’s part of the game.”

As for trainer Greg Jackson, White softened not at all.

"He's definitely to blame, too, but there's never been a case, ever, in UFC history, where a guy didn't step up and take a fight. I had pretty good reason to be upset.

"I just think, the Greg Jackson stuff.. this guy... this is my philosophy on trainers, too: You need a good trainer, a guy who's gonna be there for you, who can kind of keep you in line and keep you training and everything else. But trainers don't make fighters. Talented fighters make trainers, and that's a fact.

"The thing you have to understand about Greg Jackson, too, and I'll say it again, I said it before, this guy's a businessman. First and foremost, before anything, this guy is a businessman. He built a business.

"'We're a family.' That's what he kept telling Rashad Evans and Jon, so they wouldn't fight, because 'we're a family.' I told Rashad and Jon, 'He's not your family. Greg Jackson is not your family member, okay? If things go bad for you, tomorrow, Brother Greg isn't gonna be there for you. Is he gonna pay your bills? Is he gonna take care of your family? Your real family? No, he's not.'

"And, you saw, when it came down to it, when push came to shove, who did Greg Jackson pick? He picked Jon Jones, the guy that he believed would beat Rashad. That's a fact. That's a business. He's a businessman."

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Tim Bower
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Liar
What a ridiculous statement. In the same week that Jon Jones smartly refused the fight with the recently retired (again) wannabe fighter, Machida refused to fight Jones on short notice. So he claims this is the first time a fighter ever refused a fight in a week when 2 fighters turned down fights... This is the first time a card has been canceled because of how weak the cards have become. Even 5 years ago there would have been 2 title fights with 2 contender fights as the main card so when fighters pulled out at the last minute you still had a fight card left. With the way cards are now we get 1 fight that is worth watching and the rest of the card is full of has-beens and tv show reruns. Stack your cards like you used to and you won't have to cancel a card again. Quit blaming other people when it is your own fault you left your card vulnerable eventually it was going to bite you in the butt. The UFC has twice as many weight classes as they used to and twice as many fighters and they still sell us empty cards. I also wouldn't rip Jackson too much he has made you hundreds of millions of $ by providing most of your good fighters over the last several years.