Jon Jones, the current UFC heavyweight champion, has expressed his desire to erase the lone loss on his professional MMA record, which resulted from a now-legal strike. The Association of Boxing Commissions and Combative Sports (ABC) recently voted unanimously to lift the ban on 12-6 elbows. A strike executed with the elbow moving straight up and down. This rule change will take effect on November 1, with implementation depending on individual state athletic commissions.
Jones’ only loss came on December 5, 2009, at The Ultimate Fighter 10 Finale against Matt Hamill. Entering the fight with a perfect 9-0 record, Jones quickly dominated. However, at 4:14 of Round 1, he landed a series of 12-6 elbows while in full mount. Leading referee Steve Mazzagatti to stop the fight and disqualify Jones without a prior warning. This disqualification remains the sole blemish on Jones’ record.
Upon hearing of the ABC’s decision, Jones took to social media to share his thoughts and request UFC CEO Dana White to help remove the loss from his record. “Undefeated then, undefeated now,” Jones wrote on Instagram. “@danawhite we gotta get that loss out of the history books.”
Jones had previously appealed the result of the Hamill fight, but the Nevada Athletic Commission chose not to hear his arguments at that time. With the rule change now official, Jones hopes for a reconsideration that could restore his undefeated status.
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