“Hammer” time!
Association of Boxing Commissions (ABC) recently updated the Unified Rules for mixed martial arts (MMA), which includes the legalization of 12-6 elbows as well as a refined definition for what constitutes a grounded fighter. That said, the changes don’t take effect until voted on (and approved by) local regulatory bodies.
New York State Athletic Commission is officially on board, according to MMA Fighting, just in time for the upcoming UFC 309: “Jones vs. Miocic” pay-per-view (PPV) event, scheduled for Sat., Nov. 16, 2024 inside the famed Madison Square Garden in the “Big Apple.”
That’s where Jon Jones will defend his heavyweight title against former division champion Stipe Miocic. “Bones” made 12-6 elbows famous when he used them to splatter Matt Hamill all over the canvas at The Ultimate Fighter 10 finale back in late 2009.
Whether or not his “dumb” disqualification loss gets overturned remains to be seen.
“Undefeated then, undefeated now … Dana White we gotta get that loss out of the history books,” Jones said after the rule change.
White is certainly trying (or not, depending on who you ask).
“Jon Jones is the number one pound-for-pound fighter in the world, period, end of story,” White told Kevin Iole. “To have anybody above Jon Jones right now just goes to show that you know absolutely f—king nothing. It’s undebatable! Anyone who even tries to debate this with me, you’re just hating on Jon Jones, and you don’t like him as a person. These are f—king facts. It’s not like me and Jon Jones have this unbelievable relationship. What I am saying about Jon Jones is undebatable: the baddest dude to ever walk the face of the Earth in combat sports.”
We’ll find out for sure when Jones returns to “The Empire State.”