UFC 151 cancelled, future fight card changes, turned down title shots, and more

What a wild and wacky world the fight game is, huh?

There were rumblings on Wednesday night (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. That forced a few changes to the UFC 153 card. Hell, with UFC 151 cancelled, a bevy of upcoming cards saw changes.

It's been a wild few days, and it's understandable if you've missed out on a few of the breaking news stories, opinion pieces, analysis, quotes, notes and videos. We've got you covered with links to it all after the jump.

• 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

There you have it, Maniacs. Insanity.

For all the latest and greatest news and notes on UFC 151 click here. For UFC 152 click here and for UFC 153 click here.