What if you had the chance to reverse the only wrong in an otherwise perfect record? You would take that change for sure. And this sentiment becomes tenfold when we are talking about the MMA record of the consensus greatest fighter of all time. This is exactly what Jon Jones is facing before his UFC 309 legacy bout against Stipe Miocic.

Jones boasts an extraordinary record with 27 wins and only a single, controversial loss—a disqualification against Matt Hamill due to the use of an illegal 12-6 elbow strike. This loss has been a point of contention for years, especially since the ban on the maneuver was lifted this month. With the rule change, some fans are hopeful that this could mean a potential reevaluation of Jones’ record. But is that really in the cards? Let’s see what Chael Sonnen had to say about it.

Chael Sonnen doubles down on the ‘silliness’ of reversing an age-old verdict 

Chael Sonnen is one of MMA’s most verbose analysts and he recently spoke about the possibility of Jones having his only loss overturned. ‘The Bad Guy’ pointed out the most significant logic stating that revisiting a nearly 15-year-old case when it comes to combat sports is not feasible.

He stated his reasoning, “The talks won’t seem to go away. But it was not initiated by Jon and that’s where things start to get very interesting. The idea of revisiting an established outcome a decade-plus later is insane. That is just; that idea. A government agency funded by taxpayers would revisit an established outcome from a decade prior. That is insane. But it’s not to say things like that don’t happen they do dig up graves and redo an autopsy. And I realize the comparison there is extreme but it’s the one that you would understand?”

Chael Sonnen also noted the viability of overturning a 15-year-old fight result. “I mean, in the world of silliness, where does that end?” Sonnen remarked. “Do we start forgiving past actions just because the rules have changed?”

To understand the significance, let’s briefly revisit the history of the 12-6 elbow ban. In The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights Finale back in 2009, Jon Jones faced fellow 205lbs contender Matt Hamill. During the fight, Jones was disqualified for using the 12-6 elbow, which was considered illegal at the time. The referee stopped the fight, awarding Hamill the win by disqualification—a result that remains the only blemish on Jones’ record.

Now that the 12-6 elbow is legal, there’s speculation about whether this fight result should be overturned. However, Sonnen pointed out that Jones hasn’t officially filed a complaint to change the outcome. Although Jones has voiced frustration about the loss and has urged UFC CEO Dana White to work in this direction.

Interestingly, the 12-6 elbow came full circle in Edmonton, where another fighter recently used the move—this time without penalty—highlighting how the sport’s rules have evolved since that fateful night over a decade ago.

Cody Gibson wins by using a 12-6 elbow move

On the recently concluded UFC Edmonton card, Cody Gibson did not wait any longer and employed the 12-6 elbow move on Chad Anheliger to help himself win the fight, and make history. In a backstage interview with the 21-10-0 fighter, he disclosed the very moment when he discovered that he became the first fighter in the UFC to legally use this move to win a fight.

He said, “The 12-to-6 elbows—I do. If I landed in a dominant position like Mount, then I’d be trying to throw them, and I did. The ref came up to me after the fight. He said, ‘You’re the first person to ever cut a guy with a 12-to-6 elbow legally.’ So, I said, “Hey man, if nothing else, I’ll go down in the history books for that one, right?”

He even mentioned that he wants to utilize the move in the future. This is because it is a powerful weapon against grapplers. However, this seems unfair to Jones, doesn’t it? What are your thoughts on this matter? Will Jones use this same move on Miocic and rewrite his loss against Hamill?