Submission Underground 2 (SUG 2): Jon Jones vs. Dan HendersonDec 5, 2016 by Duane Finley
UFC 151: The Lost Show of Jon Jones vs. Dan Henderson
UFC 151: The Lost Show of Jon Jones vs. Dan Henderson
Submission Underground 2 headliners Jon Jones and Dan Henderson were slated to meet four years back at UFC 151.
UFC 151 will forever go down in MMA history as the event that never was.
This Sunday at Submission Underground 2, the headlining tilt four years lost will finally come to fruition, as Jon Jones and Dan Henderson will collide in Portland, Ore. It has been a long road traveled for both competitors to where their paths will intersect at SUG 2, and it all goes back to Aug. 23, 2012.
On that afternoon at a press conference for UFC 151, which was slated to go down Sept.1 in Las Vegas, UFC President Dana White made several crucial announcements. First and foremost, Henderson had suffered an injury and was forced out of his bout with Jones for the light heavyweight strap.
If that wasn't disappointing enough, White followed up with another bombshell, saying Jones' refusal to face replacement Chael Sonnen on short notice had led to the entire event being scrapped. It would mark the first time in history the promotion canceled an event, and the media storm that followed was unforgettable.
The UFC President hammered their pound-for-pound king for not being willing to take a fight to save the card, and therefore placed the blame on Jones' shoulders for his fellow fighters on the card and for fans who had already spent their money on tickets, flights and hotels. Simply put: White threw Jones all the way under the bus, and in a media flurry the term "sport killer" not only became an actual phrase, but a label attached to Jones' trainer Greg Jackson.
The light heavyweight king would go on to face and submit Vitor Belfort at UFC 152 less than a month later, but the relationship between Jones and the biggest promotion in the sport would never be the same. Transgressions outside the Octagon would ensure Jones' outcast status remained and continue to do so up to the present.
The 205-pound phenom would notch five more victories inside the cage before a failed test with USADA bumped him out of his long-awaited grudge match with Daniel Cormier at UFC 200.
Jones vs. Henderson at SUG 2 will mark the first time "Bones" has competed since he defeated Ovince Saint Preux at UFC 197 back in April.
In terms of Henderson's career, the MMA legend would never reclaim the type of momentum he had going into UFC 151.
The knee injury he suffered in the lead up to facing Jones kept him on the sidelines until early 2013, and he would go on to lose all three of his bouts in that calendar year. The next three years would see the former two-divisional Pride champion experience mixed results of success and setbacks, but regardless of the outcome, Henderson always brought a dangerous game to the cage.
Henderson's career officially came to an end after dropping a rival bout of his own to Michael Bisping at UFC 202 in October. Henderson gave all he had to offer, and his signature 'H-Bomb' found its mark multiple times, but the resilient Bisping bounced back and used volume to take the victory on the judges' scorecards.
Although Henderson hung up the gloves for good in Manchester, England, a chance to finally get his hands on Jones at SUG 2 was simply too much to pass up.
Make no mistake about it: There is a score to be settled Dec. 11 in Portland. A matchup four years in the making will finally come to fruition, and both Jones and Henderson have vowed to bring their respective bests.
As two of the most prolific finishers in MMA history, a submission-only grappling matchup ensures one of them continues their finishing ways.
UFC 151 changed plenty in the MMA landscape, but SUG 2 has the potential to spark a revolution in the grappling world with Jones vs. Henderson leading the charge.
On TV: Now Available on Roku & Apple TV 4
STREAMING: Available only on FloGrappling.com. Sign up today for $20 monthly or $150 yearly. Yearly FloPRO access gets you premium content and events from ALL FloSports sites, including FloCombat, FloWrestling, and FloBoxing.
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This Sunday at Submission Underground 2, the headlining tilt four years lost will finally come to fruition, as Jon Jones and Dan Henderson will collide in Portland, Ore. It has been a long road traveled for both competitors to where their paths will intersect at SUG 2, and it all goes back to Aug. 23, 2012.
On that afternoon at a press conference for UFC 151, which was slated to go down Sept.1 in Las Vegas, UFC President Dana White made several crucial announcements. First and foremost, Henderson had suffered an injury and was forced out of his bout with Jones for the light heavyweight strap.
If that wasn't disappointing enough, White followed up with another bombshell, saying Jones' refusal to face replacement Chael Sonnen on short notice had led to the entire event being scrapped. It would mark the first time in history the promotion canceled an event, and the media storm that followed was unforgettable.
The UFC President hammered their pound-for-pound king for not being willing to take a fight to save the card, and therefore placed the blame on Jones' shoulders for his fellow fighters on the card and for fans who had already spent their money on tickets, flights and hotels. Simply put: White threw Jones all the way under the bus, and in a media flurry the term "sport killer" not only became an actual phrase, but a label attached to Jones' trainer Greg Jackson.
The light heavyweight king would go on to face and submit Vitor Belfort at UFC 152 less than a month later, but the relationship between Jones and the biggest promotion in the sport would never be the same. Transgressions outside the Octagon would ensure Jones' outcast status remained and continue to do so up to the present.
The 205-pound phenom would notch five more victories inside the cage before a failed test with USADA bumped him out of his long-awaited grudge match with Daniel Cormier at UFC 200.
Jones vs. Henderson at SUG 2 will mark the first time "Bones" has competed since he defeated Ovince Saint Preux at UFC 197 back in April.
In terms of Henderson's career, the MMA legend would never reclaim the type of momentum he had going into UFC 151.
The knee injury he suffered in the lead up to facing Jones kept him on the sidelines until early 2013, and he would go on to lose all three of his bouts in that calendar year. The next three years would see the former two-divisional Pride champion experience mixed results of success and setbacks, but regardless of the outcome, Henderson always brought a dangerous game to the cage.
Henderson's career officially came to an end after dropping a rival bout of his own to Michael Bisping at UFC 202 in October. Henderson gave all he had to offer, and his signature 'H-Bomb' found its mark multiple times, but the resilient Bisping bounced back and used volume to take the victory on the judges' scorecards.
Although Henderson hung up the gloves for good in Manchester, England, a chance to finally get his hands on Jones at SUG 2 was simply too much to pass up.
Make no mistake about it: There is a score to be settled Dec. 11 in Portland. A matchup four years in the making will finally come to fruition, and both Jones and Henderson have vowed to bring their respective bests.
As two of the most prolific finishers in MMA history, a submission-only grappling matchup ensures one of them continues their finishing ways.
UFC 151 changed plenty in the MMA landscape, but SUG 2 has the potential to spark a revolution in the grappling world with Jones vs. Henderson leading the charge.
How to Watch Submission Underground 2
On TV: Now Available on Roku & Apple TV 4
STREAMING: Available only on FloGrappling.com. Sign up today for $20 monthly or $150 yearly. Yearly FloPRO access gets you premium content and events from ALL FloSports sites, including FloCombat, FloWrestling, and FloBoxing.