Joe Rogan may finally get to witness the 12-6 elbows inside the UFC Octagon! While the UFC initially began as a ‘no holds barred’ competition, its transition into a mainstream sport saw sanctioning bodies make certain moves illegal for athletes to use. Eye-gouging, groin strikes, fish-hooking (using fingers to pull on the opponent’s mouth and other openings), and knees to the head of a grounded opponent are all banned under the current unified rules of MMA.

12-6 elbows also fall under this category and Rogan has been vocal about his issues with their ban in the sport for a long time as he has dubbed it, “…the dumbest f***ing ever rule in MMA.” But in a recent conversation with UFC legend, ‘Tank’ Abbott, the host of the JRE (Joe Rogan Experience) discovered that the rule might be on the way out and he couldn’t contain his excitement!

Joe Rogan reveals the reason behind the ban, as rule change might be on the horizon

12-6 elbows are defined as elbow strikes that are landed vertically on an opponent. If you imagine a clock face, striking downwards from the noon position to the 6 o’clock position with your elbow is what the strike would look like.

As such, speaking on the JRE MMA Show #158, Joe Rogan noted that in a real fight, excluding techniques like 12-6 elbows omits effective fighting strategies. He stated, “…if you leave that stuff out then you’re leaving out like really effective techniques that would definitely work and probably would end a fight especially knees to the head to a grounded opponent. 12-6 elbows, what, how the f**k is that still in there?”

The podcast host then explained that the rule originated from concerns about its perceived lethality as he stated, “You know where that came from? They were worried that people break bricks and ice on ESPN so they banned the 12-6 elbows. It’s still, all these years later, 2024 it’s still banned, it’s f**king crazy.”

Rogan then indicated that he had received information from credible sources that the rule might be phased out soon. The producer of the podcast and the other half of the JRE, Jaime, then showed him a report that led to Rogan being excited about the update. He exclaimed, “They vote to remove nice! Okay, so this is in January, so is it into effect already?… If it’s ABC, I think it is, because Hunter Campbell is the one who told me about it, it was either him or Craig Borsari…”

It remains to be seen if the rule does come into effect soon, but it would certainly be a game changer inside the Octagon as fighters will have another weapon in their arsenal that may lead to some interesting exchanges in fights. Nevertheless, Jon Jones will be watching closely as the only blemish in his record comes from a result of the ban on 12-6 elbows!

 Bones’s undefeated record was tarnished by the ban on 12-6 elbows

Jon Jones, the current UFC undisputed heavyweight champion and a GOAT candidate in the UFC has only one loss in his entire UFC career since he made his debut at UFC 87 in 2008. 

In his fight against Matt Hamill on ‘The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights Finale’, Jones was disqualified after he secured the top position against his opponent and began raining down heavy blows. One of the strikes was deemed as a 12-6 elbow by the referee who halted the fight and proclaimed Hamill the winner with ‘Bones’ being disqualified for his actions.

UFC CEO Dana White later stated in an interview with ESPN in 2019, “That one loss on his record, we’re trying to get that [overturned]… It was the weakest commission ever in the history of Nevada and the referee that reffed that fight shouldn’t have even been in there and he disqualified Jon, which shouldn’t have happened either.”

However, Jones’s record still retains the loss so it seems the UFC boss was unable to get the commission to reverse its decisions. But with Joe Rogan’s claims that the rule is on the way out, the inclusion of 12-6 elbows could herald a new era of dynamic and authentic combat within the UFC. 

What are your thoughts on 12-6 elbows and Rogan’s revelation that the UFC may be looking to move away from the ban on them? Share them with us in the comments below!