In a quick turnaround, Jon Jones will now face Vitor Belfort instead of Lyoto Machida on September 22nd. Jones, who was expected to faceDan Henderson on September 1st, chose to not fight at all when his foe was forced to sit out due to an injury.
Middleweight contender Chael Sonnen offered to step in, but Jones declined, which prompted UFC president Dana White to pull the plug on the entire UFC 151 card.
Lyoto Machida was then projected to be Jones’ opponent in Toronto on the 22nd, but it’s now the former light heavyweight titlist Vitor Belfort who will get the shot.
Belfort is 21-9 and is coming off two straight victories inside the Octagon.
According to White, UFC 151 is nixed and the next event will remain UFC 152 as it was intially titled.
Stay tuned for more updates.
