The 12-6 elbows have created quite a bit of commotion in the world of mixed martial arts. After all, it was the reason why Jon Jones was disqualified at The Ultimate Fighter Finale, despite dominating the Octagon against Matt Hamill. Needless to say, it is one of the few rules that even Joe Rogan thought of as stupid. 

But did you know that the rule came into action long before Jones had the chance to fight Hamill? Let’s hear the story of the origin of the rule from the man who was right there when it came into action.

Ex-referee tells Joe Rogan the story of how the athletic commission banned 12-6 elbow 

Back in 2018, in an episode of ‘The Joe Rogan Experience’, Big John McCarthy joined the UFC color commentator for a detailed talk. Therein, the former MMA referee walked the JRE host through the time when the 12-6 elbow was banned for the first time. It was indeed the fight between Gan McGee and Brad Gabriel back on September 30, 2000, at IFC 13. Even though the fight succeeded in entertaining the fighting community, it also gave rise to a rule that Rogan thinks of as useless. 

McCarthy recounted that McGee was 6’11” and 335 pounds going into the fight, while his opponent was only 6’1” and 210-215 pounds. The weight difference was significant and it flashed unceremoniously as Gabriel struggled to get a hold of McGee. As the scuffle went on, McGee went on to smash his elbows on top of his opponent. McCarthy said, “He’s bringing it bringing it straight down on top of Brad Gabriel’s head and then he gets his back and he does the same thing like the old Brazilian style of boom shots to the back of the head. And he said, he goes, ‘I can’t have that. I see, I’ve seen them break big blocks of ice like that. That’s a dangerous elbow. We can’t have that.’”

But when the referee stepped forward to combat the change, Lorenzo Fertitta jumped in and asked him not to. “So, that’s the 12-6 elbow,” the 56-year-old podcaster blurted out. Without a doubt, it was a rule with a lot of loopholes. McCarthy continued, “That’s the 12-6 elbow and the whole thing with the whole positioning of it, 12-6, I came up with that. They’re saying, okay let me just make this clear. So, we’re saying that my hand comes straight up and straight down. That’s what’s illegal. So 12 o’clock to 6 o’clock. But if I’m in side control and I bring my arm like this, we’re okay with it.”

This meant that the only angle at which the elbow shots were considered illegal was when the fighters took their arm directly up and brought it straight down. Nevertheless, it was a move that the podcaster thought of as a legitimate move. Of course, Rogan wasn’t alone in his take. Dana White also thought the same.

Dana White’s opinion on Jones’ only defeat

Back in 2019, the UFC head honcho was interviewed by ESPN, wherein he talked about Jones’ single defeat. Ever since the heavyweight champion stepped into the Octagon, he made sure to entertain the fight fans by dominating the Octagon. However, the scenario was a bit different when he faced Hamill.

Talking about TUF Finale, White said, “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.”

 Needless to say, the UFC CEO was pretty unhappy with how this move brought in a single black spot of defeat in Jones’ UFC resume. But now, the Association of Boxing Commissions and Combative Sports has legalized the 12-6 elbow strike.

What are your thoughts on the 12-6 move? Let us know what you think in the comments down below.