“Undefeated then, undefeated now.. @danawhite we gotta get that loss out of the history books,” wrote Jon Jones after the controversial 12-6 elbow was made legal after careful consideration. Last week, the Association of Boxing Commissions and Combative Sports Mixed Martial Arts Committee (ABC) made two big changes in their rule books and one of them was to remove the 12-6 elbow strikes from their illegal books. This change got the attention of the heavyweight champ as he called out Dana White to overturn his only loss.

The removal of the 12-6 from the illegal books would mean that Jon Jones can now appeal in front of the commission to overturn it. However, according to Ariel Helwani, it’s meaningless, “Worth noting, Jon Jones can appeal his 2009 loss to Matt Hamill to get it overturned into a no contest (not a win) but it *might* be too late since that was almost 15 years ago.” Well, alongside Helwani, another insider has come forward to state why it’s futile for Jones to call for rechecking.

UFC insider dealt a severe blow to Jon Jones and Dana White’s plans

Dana White has always advocated for Jon Jones as the best fighter in the world and making him undefeated would mean a lot to him as well as Jones’ legacy. However, this might not happen as per UFC insider and former middleweight contender, Chael Sonnen. The former fighter explained that even if the elbow strikes have become legal, there’s one aspect that is still illegal. “Jon Jones, who was disqualified against Matt Hamill, was not only delivering a 12-to-6 elbow. If I understood correctly, it was also to the back of the head. Think of a mohawk; think of what that mohawk line is,” said Sonnen on his YouTube channel.

He added, “What they’ll tell you is the back of the head, so it was a double infraction. It was very tough because that fight was so dominant. In a very realistic scenario, had Jon Jones not used that technique but instead used one of five other techniques, coming from the side, one shot right in the ear, you’re fine. Big John McCarthy will tell you if you want to make sure you’re legal, make sure some part of your hand touches his ear.”

In December 2009, Jon Jones came face to face against Matt Hamill at ‘The Ultimate Fighter Finale 10.’ A victory in this fight meant glory for both the fighters. Jon Jones dominated Hamil in the clash, however, he was ultimately defeated by way of DQ. Why? He employed an illegal 12-6 elbow strike while Hamil was grounded. This defeat is the only black stop in his amazing career. However, 15 years later, there’s a chance to overturn it as well. If the promotion overturned his only defeat, then Jones’s career record would stand at 28 victories and 0 defeats.

The 12-6 elbow rule can be defined as a “straight up, straight down elbow strike” to a grounded opponent. Over the years, there has been a lot of discussion about the controversial rule, with many protesting against the ban on it. The ABC has finally heard the fans and the analysts as the ban will be removed from November 01.

Speaking of the HW champion’s situation, the commission might not be willing to change the decision 15 years after the match, but Jon Jones has the right to ask for a change of decision. Well, ‘Bones’ had made his statement, but what about Dana White? Is he willing to go with the flow? Let us find out.

What does Dana White think about the hubbub?

The decision to legalize the 12-6 elbow will take effect starting November 1. Well, Dana White has been trying to overturn the decision for over a decade now and this new change of rules might act as music to his ears. However, will he act now, considering that Jones has been holding the heavyweight division for a while now?

The UFC head honcho answered the question at the UFC 304 post-fight press conference: “I’ve been trying to do that since it happened. I think I wanted it more than he did. So, it hasn’t worked out too well though. I’ve been fighting for that for a long time. We had an incompetent referee… A guy who, we can all agree now, maybe I sounded like an a**hole back in the day, but now we can all look back and a hundred percent say that the guy was completely incompetent.”

Will the promotion reverse the decision, or not, is still a mystery, but one thing’s for sure and that’s the fact that Jones’s dominance persists. What’s your take on the situation? State your thoughts in the comments below.