Recently, in an interview, UFC legend Jon Jones said he’s excited to use the 12-6 elbow against Stipe Miocic now that they’re officially legal in mixed martial arts. As we know, Jon Jones has one loss on his record: a disqualification that came as a result of 12-6 elbows. Now, some fans fear the return of the move could spell trouble for Jones ahead of UFC 309.

The use of 12-6 elbows in UFC fights has been declared legal, starting with the UFC Edmonton event. As Jon Jones gears up to successfully defend his UFC heavyweight championship against Stipe Miocic, he plans to bring back the arsenal that once got him disqualified in the UFC. In fact, fans can finally get to see the video evidence of it, as Jon Jones’ team has released footage of Jones hitting straight elbows on a practice bag.

Even in his recent interview with Kevin Iole, ‘Bones’ talked about how he would love to use the elbows against Miocic to finish his possibly last fight in the UFC. He said, “I accept the move more than ever now, and I’ve been training extensively on different 12-6 elbow attacks. It’s funny because it’s been such a big no-no move, and so you train yourself not to go there. Now, to be able to use that strike—I mean, it’s a very devastating strike. It just opens up so many more options, both on the feet and in the top position. I’m excited to hopefully be one of the first UFC athletes to legally display it at Madison Square Garden.”

In December 2009, referee Steve Mazzagatti disqualified Jon Jones in the first round after he hit Matt Hamill with multiple 12-6 elbows. The move had long been banned by the UFC until the Association of Boxing Commissions and Combative Sports lifted the ban in July. However, fans seem unconvinced about the legality of the move and how Jon Jones has been practicing it.

Fans share their concern after practice footage goes viral

As soon as the footage of Jon Jones practicing his 12-6 elbow strikes hit the internet, fans were quick to share their thoughts on it. And a major concern that everyone had was the way Jones was going all out on the practice bag. According to fans, Jones should be taking his practice sessions much more lightly. Especially since he is known for being injury-prone and even pulled out of the Miocic fight back when they booked to fight at UFC 295. As a result, fans wrote in the comments, “Video evidence of why Jon Jones pulling out of 309 now,” “Brothers gonna dislocate his shoulder and pull out,” and “This is just in. Jon Jones out with a shoulder injury.”

However, not everyone showed concern for Jones. There were some fans who were more concerned about his opponent instead. According to these fans, the 12-6 move should’ve been illegal since they can cause serious harm to the fighters. Unlike one’s knees, which have a larger surface area with a round top, the pointy ends of elbows surely can cause long-term damage to the skull. Some of the comments that questioned the legality of the move were, “On second thoughts, maybe these shouldn’t be allowed.” “Mistake making them legal. Deadly stuff,” and “Really dumb bringing that back.”

And how can we talk about Jon Jones without mentioning Tom Aspinall in the mix? The Briton has been chasing ‘Bones’ for a fight, while the heavyweight champion wants to retire before having a unification bout against Aspinall. So when fans saw Jones practice so hard before his fight against Miocic, many were quick to remind him that his opponent was a 42-year-old fighter and was definitely not on the top of his game. They wrote, “All that for 50-year-old Stipe when he should be fighting the interim champion Aspinall,” and “Allat for a 75-year-old Miocic 😭”

Well, it surely looks like fans have different opinions on the 12-6 elbows. But what do you think? Will Jon Jones be able to use it against Stipe Miocic at UFC 309? Let us know in the comments.