• UFC 151

UFC 151 cancelled after Henderson injury

Next weekend's UFC 151 card has been completely scrapped after it was announced that light-heavyweight title contender Dan Henderson injured his knee ligaments in training.

Shortly after the news was announced, Henderson released a statement on his Facebook page: "I've had to make one of the toughest decisions that I have ever had to make...for the first time in my career I am forced to pull out of a fight, my fight with Jon Jones at UFC 151."

Current champion Jon Jones was offered the chance to fight Chael Sonnen on eight days notice, but declined.

The UFC have taken the decision to scrap the entire card with Jones now facing Vitor Belfort as the headline event at UFC 152 in Toronto on September 22. Dana White originally announced that Lyoto Machida would being the opponent, but he rejected the opportunity for a rematch.

UFC president Dana White announced the news of the event cancellation on a conference call with journalists on Thursday. Clearly unimpressed by Jones' refusal to fight two-time middleweight title contender Chael Sonnen, he said: "A world champion turned down a fight, that's never happened."

White lambasted the current light-heavyweight champion, branding the decision not to take a fight as "selfish and disgusting".

He also launched a verbal attack on Jones' trainer, Greg Jackson, who advised him not to take the fight, saying the decision was the "biggest mistake of his career" and that Jackson was a "f*cking sport killer".

Jackson responded to the comments on The MMA Show shortly after defending his actions. "I was asked if it was smart to take a fight on three days notice and I don't think it's smart to do that," he said. "Three days to fight a guy that caliber is not a smart thing to do."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.