The Association of Boxing and Combat Sports Commissions (ABC) just approved a monumental rule change. Among other modifications, the most prominent change was the removal of the infamous 12-6 elbow ban. This alters a lot of things in the UFC because it sets a new precedent to examine what elbow strikes will be legal going forward in the promotion. For the unversed, this happens to be the same rule owing to which Jon Jones has a loss on his record that came against Matt Hamill. 

On top of that, history was made at UFC Edmonton recently when Cody Gibson became the first fighter to defeat his opponent using the now-legal 12-6 elbow strikes. However, this raises a question about the aforementioned bout between Jones and Hamill that took place in December 2009, at the UFC’s Season 10 finale of “The Ultimate Fighter” in Las Vegas.

Also known as the ‘North-South elbow’, it cost ‘Bones’ the fight that he was winning convincingly up to that point. There is also a recent development according to Ruben Carter, “Jon Jones will have his only loss to Matt Hamill overturned in light of the new rule change regarding the 12-6 elbow.” However, let’s fact-check this, shall we?

This recent ruling has not gone unnoticed by Jon Jones, who is eager to erase the only blemish on his otherwise pristine record. Back in 2009, Jones was dominating his fight against Matt Hamill until referee Steve Mazzagatti disqualified him for using several 12-6 elbow strikes, which were illegal at the time. Dana White attempted to appeal the decision, but the loss remained.

Now, following this rule revision, the heavyweight champion shared a photo of his fight with Hamill on Instagram, tagging Dana White with a direct appeal: “Undefeated then, undefeated now. @danawhite we gotta get that loss out of the history books.” However, as UFC journalist Ariel Helwani noted, clearing Jones’s record may not be as straightforward as it was for others, like Gibson, given the circumstances surrounding the disqualification.

Will Jon Jones’ only loss get overturned?

Ariel Helwani recently pointed out that Jon Jones could technically appeal his 2009 disqualification loss to Matt Hamill. Posting on X, Helwani noted, “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.” Despite the long odds, Helwani shared that some athletic commissioners have encouraged Jones to try for an appeal, especially since new rule changes went into effect on November 1, 2024.

Jones previously appealed the decision, but his efforts were unsuccessful. However, with the recent rule changes, there may be renewed interest in his case. Meanwhile, Cody Gibson recently became the first fighter to use a 12-6 elbow legally under the updated regulations. After his fight, he shared, “The ref came up to me and said, ‘You were the first person ever to cut a guy with a 12-6 elbow, legally.’ I said, ‘If nothing else, I’ll go down in the history books for that one, right?’”

While Gibson made history thanks to the updated rules, it seems unlikely Jones will successfully overturn his disqualification loss. Still, as Helwani suggests, there’s no harm in trying, especially as Jones looks to set the record straight on one of the most debated calls in his career. What are your views on this revolutionary rule change? Let us know in the comment section below!