If it weren't for the most wild and wacky set of circumstances in who knows how long, we would all be enjoying Ultimate Fighting Championship's (UFC) return to pay-per-view (PPV) tonight (Sat., Sept. 22, 2012) with the UFC 151: "Jones vs. Henderson" event that was supposed to take place at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.

If only Jon Jones and Greg Jackson didn't "murder" it, at least according to UFC President Dana White.

Instead fans are left to their own devices, likely spending time with (gasp) their families and friends over the holiday weekends with no professional, regulated violence to help table any arguments.

Damn that Jon Jones ... and Greg Jackson ... and the UFC ... and Dan Henderson ... and Lyoto Machida ... and luck ... and the fight gods.

We here at MMAmania.com are also affected, obviously, as we would have been providing you up to the second, blow-by-blow results of all the night's action as it was happening.

In lieu of that, we'll recap all the madness from this mess and provide you with an open thread to discuss what is, what is not, and what could have been.

After the jump, let's start with the scheduled fight card and where each fight ended up.

Original UFC 151 fight card:

Jon Jones vs. Dan Henderson
Jake Ellenberger vs. Jay Hieron
Dennis Siver vs. Eddie Yagin
Dennis Hallman vs. Thiago Tavares
John Lineker vs. Yasuhiro Urushitani
Michael Johnson vs. Danny Castillo
Takeya Mizugaki vs. Jeff Hougland
Tim Means vs. Abel Trujillo
Daron Cruickshank vs. Henry Martinez
Jacob Volkmann vs. Shane Roller
Charlie Brenneman vs. Kyle Noke

Where everyone ended up:

UFC 152:

Jon Jones vs. Vitor Belfort
Charlie Brenneman vs. Kyle Noke

UFC on FX 5

Jake Ellenberger vs. Jay Hieron
Dennis Hallman vs. Thiago Tavares
Michael Johnson vs. Danny Castillo
Jacob Volkmann vs. Shane Roller

UFC on FUEL TV 6

John Lineker vs. Yasuhiro Urushitani
Takeya Mizugaki vs. Jeff Hougland

UFC on Fox 5

Dennis Siver vs. Eddie Yagin
Tim Means vs. Abel Trujillo
Daron Cruickshank vs. Henry Martinez

The story:

There were rumblings back on Wed., Aug. 22, 2012 that big news was about to hit the wire that would cause a major shake up to an upcoming event. Word around the water cooler was that Dan Henderson was injured and Jon Jones would be getting a new opponent for the main event of UFC 151.

The truth was far worse.

The UFC sent word out that it would hold a special conference call to make a major announcement on Aug. 23. That major announcement turned out to be the complete cancellation of the planed UFC 151 pay-per-view on Sept. 1 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Henderson was, in fact, injured, but Jones was not accepting a new opponent.

Actually, he turned one down.

Indeed, "Bones" refused to fight Chael Sonnen, who offered to step up to the plate. We later learned Anderson Silva also offered his services in order to save the show, although he wasn't offering to fight Jones.

This led to Jones getting booked for the main event of UFC 152 against Lyoto Machida, the number one contender to his title. Except "The Dragon" turned it down, revealing later that he didn't feel three weeks was enough time to prepare for a fight of such magnitude. That turned out to be the case for Mauricio Rua, as well, as we also learned he turned down the fight right after Machida.

The only guy the UFC could find to accept the fight was Vitor Belfort, who was given a pat on the back and a smile for stepping up to the plate on short notice.

Links:

• UFC 151 major announcement live blog and updates
• UFC 151 cancelled, Jon Jones refuses to fight Chael Sonnen with Dan Henderson hurt
• UFC fighters blast Jon Jones on Twitter in wake of UFC 151 cancellation
• Greg Jackson responds to Dana White's criticism, suggest Jon Jones vs. Chael Sonnen at UFC 152
• Dan Henderson details knee injury, reacts to UFC 151 cancellation
• UFC 151 cancelled: Jon Jones has the title but the heart of a coward
• Chael Sonnen: I'm the new light heavyweight champion, Jon Jones is a delusional brat
• Jon Jones screwed everyone, including himself, by making what he thought was the right decision
• UFC 151 undercard fighters fire back at Jon Jones, explain financial implications of cancelled event
• Jon Jones and Greg Jackson "murdered" UFC 151
• UFC 151 press conference call full transcript
• UFC dodged a major bullet with Jon Jones' unpopular decision
• Jon Jones vs. Vitor Belfort booked for UFC 152 after Lyoto Machida turns down title shot
• Anderson Silva offered to save UFC 151 with a light heavyweight bout
• Why is Vitor Belfort fighting Jon Jones at UFC 152 and not Chael Sonnen?
• Shogun Rua turned down a title shot against Jon Jones at UFC 152
• Vitor Belfort expresses thanks for title shot against Jon Jones, calls other fighters divas
• Jon Jones: The forgotten victim following UFC 151 cancellation
• Jon Jones opens as a -1300 favorite over Vitor Belfort for UFC 152 title fight
• Dan Henderson is expecting an immediate title shot upon his return to the UFC
• Dana White claims Dan Henderson and Chael Sonnen are the exact same fighter
• Lyoto Machida releases statement on turning down Jon Jones fight, wanted it at UFC 153
• Vitor Belfort title fight a blessing in disguise for injured Alan Belcher
• Jon Jones apologizes to fans and fighters for UFC 151 cancellation
• Chael Sonnen on the bad injury that cost Dan Henderson and the stud who replaced him
• Saturday Night's Mania Event: Jon Jones, UFC 151, and being pissed
• Jon Jones will fight Chael Sonnen with no surprise attacks like Pearl Harbor
• New UFC 152 poster for "Jones vs. Belfort"
• Vitor Belfort will be coached by Rashad Evans in advance of Jon Jones fight
• Shogun Rua camp releases statement on turning down Jon Jones fight
• Vitor Belfort a legend, not a diva, heading into Jon Jones title fight at UFC 152
• Chael Sonnen: I'll be fighting Jon Jones at UFC 152 because Vitor Belfort will pull out
• Rashad Evans disappointed Jon Jones turned his back on the UFC
• Vitor Belfort is a better fit to fight Jon Jones than Chael Sonnen
• Frustrated Charlie Brenneman defends his educated decision to blast Jon Jones
• Greg Jackson still puzzled by Dana White's passion and out of ordinary emotion
• Jon Jones to Dana White: Tell Chael Sonnen to stop picking on me
• Anderson Silva is rooting for Vitor Belfort to beat Jon Jones at UFC 152
• Jon Jones was going to pay for UFC 151 fighter's salaries but chose not to after Twitter trash talk

This is an open thread, Maniacs, so chat it up however you like and enjoy your holiday weekend.