Former UFC light heavyweight Matt Hamill has addressed the recent rule change regarding “12-6” elbows, a move that led to his victory over Jon Jones.
Officially, Hamill is the sole man to defeat Jones across the current UFC heavyweight champion’s illustrious and record-breaking 29-fight professional career in mixed martial arts.
The manner of victory, however, has long been a cause of debate, with “Bones” being disqualified by referee Steve Mazzagatti after being deemed to have thrown an illegal “12-6” elbow.
The move is banned downward elbow that some perceived to be more dangerous than an angled strike. But that belief has frequently been called into question, leading to a vote on the removal of the ban at the annual conference held by the Association of Boxing Commissions and Combative Sports (ABC).
The vote went down on Tuesday in Louisville, Kentucky, with the committee unanimously voting in favor of removing the prohibition on “12-6” elbows from November 1 onwards.
Jones was quick to react to the news, once again calling for help from UFC CEO Dana White in getting his 2009 loss overturned.
The man victorious on that night, however, has something to say about that…
47-Year-Old Hamill Offers Jones Rematch In Light Of 12-6 Elbow Ban Being Lifted
A few years on from his win over Jones, Matt Hamill washed out of the UFC off the back of a 1-3 run that included a knockout loss to Alexander Gustafsson and decision defeat to Thiago Silva.
He subsequently lost his first three fights outside of the Octagon before bouncing back with a pair of regional triumphs in 2017 and 2018.
“The Hammer” hasn’t competed since, but judging by a recent Instagram post reacting to the new change coming regarding “12-6” elbows, he’d be down to revisit his matchup with Jones…
“Let’s cut this chase… @danawhite – I know you’re desperate to get @jonnybones an undefeated record,” Hamill wrote. “I see how you want to profit from that! Is also why you bail him out of all the other things… How about a rematch?! I’ll be happy to fight him for a heavyweight title. If I beat him, I want a UFC belt. Let me know if Stipe Miocic backs out. I’ll take short notice, just remember he already lost to me!”
At Thursday’s UFC 304 press conference, White insisted that whoever emerges from Saturday’s event as the interim heavyweight champ will face the winner of Jones vs. Miocic down the line.
Suffice to say, Tom Aspinall and Curtis Blaydes likely won’t be too worried about having to compete with Hamill for that spot…
