Jon Jones

UFC president Dana White tweeted that Jones versus Henderson will take place on September 1, headlining UFC 151 in Las Vegas!

Previously (Apr 25, 2012), at press conference in Rio de Janeiro, UFC president Dana White mentioned the possibility of Jon Jones and Dan Henderson headlining UFC 149.

“If we could make that fight happen (at UFC 149), that’d be great,” White said.

Dan Henderson (41-year-old) is currently riding a four-fight winning streak and has gone 7-1 in his last eight bouts. His last fight, a five-round slugfest with Maurcio Rua, was undoubtedly the best fight of 2011 and quite possibly one of the best fights in UFC history.
Since that November 19 bout, Henderson has sat on the sidelines, bidding his time, waiting for his turn at a title shot in the 205-pound division.

UPDATE:  Apr 25, 2012

Jon Jones vs. Dan Henderson possible for UFC 149 in Calgary

At a press conference today in Rio de Janeiro, UFC president Dana White mentioned the possibility of Jon Jones and Dan Henderson headlining UFC 149.

“If we could make that fight happen (at UFC 149), that’d be great,” White said.

UFC President Dana White announced Saturday night at the UFC 145 post-fight press conference that former Strikeforce and Pride Fighting Championships titlist Dan Henderson will now challenge Jon Jones in a clash of generations.

“I feel great that I already have a mission,” Jones told the media of his upcoming title defense. “I’m going to work extremely hard to better myself. Dan Henderson is awesome, and he has a large fan base. I’m sure the haters are going to come out right away. He has extreme knockout power, and I’m excited to conquer this challenge. My goal will be to finish Dan Henderson, with all due respect.”

Jon Jones about his victory on UFC 145

“I felt great [tonight]. Rashad is an awesome opponent. He’s fast, and he punches hard. I respect Rashad a lot,” said Jones, who previously trained with Evans at Jackson’s Mixed Martial Arts in Albuquerque, N.M. “I would say that Rashad was my toughest fight to date. A lot of it was how tough he is, and some of it was my insecurities. He did big-brother me a few times in practice, so I think I was a little hesitant in some spots. I think this fight just brought me to another level mentally.”

Jones truly turned the tide in his favor in round two, when he blasted Evans with a series of standing elbows that staggered the former champion.

“I move smoothly when I’m working a heavy bag, but tonight I felt gangly and uncoordinated at some points. I think I just need to trust my [abilities] a little more,” Jones said. “[Trying to earn a] knockout was important to me. I wanted to back up what I said. I’m a big believer in goal-setting. Having goals keeps you on a path and keeps your eyes set on something. You can train to win, or you can train to finish and do something amazing. I didn’t [get the knockout], but I still sit here extremely grateful that neither of us are injured and live to fight another day.”

Jon Jones about Rashad Evans punching power

“I wouldn’t say I was hurt, but I would definitely say [Evans] wobbled me. There was one point where I got hit and tried to side-shuffle, and I stumbled. I was happy I was able to take punches from Rashad, because he hits hard,” said Jones. “I pulled guard because I am a mixed martial artist. A lot of times, people look at [pulling guard] as a sissy move, but I think a lot of [Brazilian jiu-jitsu] practitioners around the world loved it. It was a smart move.”

Rashad Evans after his loss

“I just think I was flat when I came out,” Evans said at the post-fight press conference. “I had a great camp, but sometimes you don’t feel it. There were times in the fight when I felt like I could have done something, but I didn’t pull the trigger when I needed to. I’ll have to go back and see what I did wrong.”

“I got out-slicked. I thought I would get him. I felt his timing was off, and it’s never off, so I felt he was nervous,” said Evans. “Then he started playing that hand game. When he touched me, I knew he’d go for an elbow. I wanted to time it and take him down, but he caught me every time.
“It was difficult. He was so long and it was just frustrating,” Evans continued. “Whenever he hit me with something, I couldn’t let him know how bad it hurt. He’s a talented kid, and he has gotten a lot better, like I thought he would. I have to give him respect. He’s a champion.”

VIDEO: UFC 145 post-fight press conference