‘Bones’ Jones to Defend Light Heavyweight Title against Dan Henderson at UFC 151

“Bones” will square off with former Strikeforce champion Dan Henderson at the Sept. 1 event, according to a statement recently released by promotion officials. UFC 151 will take place in Las Vegas, though a specific venue for the show has not yet been announced.

Jones captured the UFC light heavyweight crown in March of last year, finishing Mauricio Rua via third-round technical knockout at UFC 128. The 24-year-old would go on to successfully defend his title twice more in 2011, forcing Quinton Jackson to tap out to a rear-naked choke in September before putting Lyoto Machida to sleep with a standing guillotine in December. Most recently, Jones bested former training partner Rashad Evans, cruising to a unanimous decision last month at UFC 145 in Atlanta.

Despite compiling one of MMA’s most impressive resumes in nearly 15 years as a professional, Henderson has never held a UFC world title. The former two-division Pride Fighting Championships titlist rides a four-fight winning streak heading into his upcoming title shot. After dispatching Rafael Cavalcante to capture the Strikeforce lightweight title last spring, “Hendo” stopped former Pride heavyweight ruler Fedor Emelianenko in July before edging Rua in a “Fight of the Year” nominee this past November at UFC 139.