Association of Boxing Commissions approve rule changes for 12-to-6 elbows, definition for a downed fighter

A frustrating foul that cost Jon Jones the only loss on his record and the definition surrounding a “downed fighter” have been changed following a vote by the Association of Boxing Commissions (ABC).

On Tuesday, the ABC approved a couple of key rules changes that will go into effect starting Nov. 1, although each individual athletic commission still needs to adopt the rules before fighters see the difference in the cage or ring.

ABC president Mike Mazzulli confirmed the changes when speaking to MMA Fighting on Tuesday following an initial report from Ariel Helwani on Twitter.

The first rule change involved the 12-to-6 elbow, which basically means a fighter bringing their arm up straight and straight down to land an elbow on an opponent. In the past that exact move was illegal, which is what led to Jones’ fight against Matt Hamill being stopped back in 2009 after he landed several of those elbows in succession.

When Hamill couldn’t continue because of the damage done, the referee disqualified Jones for the illegal blows, which still stands as the only loss on his otherwise unblemished resume.

A huge part of the confusion surrounding the 12-to-6 elbow was that throwing that same strike at any angle other than directly up and down was considered legal. Many times it was effectively a judgment call by the referee on whether or not a fighter threw a 12-to-6 elbow or the strike was thrown at an angle other than directly up and down.

Now that problem won’t exist.

It wasn’t long after the rule changes were announced that Jones took to Instagram to react to the news.

“Undefeated then, undefeated now,” Jones wrote. “Dana White, we gotta get that loss out of the history books.”

Meanwhile, the definition for a “downed fighter” has also been changed when it comes to kicks or knees being thrown to the head of an opponent. The new rule specifically states:

“A fighter shall be considered grounded and may not be legally kneed or kicked to the head when any part of their body other than their hands or feet is in contact with the canvas (ground).”

Under the old version of the rule, a fighter had to have at least one hand down and then any other body part must also be touching the floor — so technically it could be two hands touching the canvas — and then that was considered a downed opponent so no kicks or knees could be thrown to the head.

Based on the new rule, a fighter must have some body part on the canvas other than their hands or feet — a knee, elbow, etc — to be considered downed. Otherwise, knees and kicks to the head are legal.

The rules changes were voted on and approved by a committee that includes California State Athletic Commission executive director Andy Foster, Nevada Athletic Commission executive director Jeff Mullen and officials such as Marc Goddard, Herb Dean and John McCarthy.

While the rules were approved on Tuesday, the actual changes won’t go into effect until Nov. 1 so fighters and referees have a chance to adopt to the new standard along with proper training for officials. As previously stated, the various athletic commissions also have to vote to adopt the new rules before any changes happen during the fights.