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Tag: Matt Hamill

  • Former UFC Fighter Praises Major Breakthrough To Help Medical Condition: ‘For The First Time In 41 Years…’

    Former UFC Fighter Praises Major Breakthrough To Help Medical Condition: ‘For The First Time In 41 Years…’

    Former UFC fighter Matt Hamill has one of the most remarkable stories of anyone that has stepped inside the Octagon. Having been deaf since birth, the Ohio native found his way to the highest level of the sport via season 3 of The Ultimate Fighter where he competed as a member of team Tito Ortiz.

    He would go on to have 15 of his 20 pro fights inside the Octagon having left the promotion in 2013 before he fought for the last time in 2018. During his UFC run, Hamill faced some of the top names from his era with wins over the likes of Mark Muñoz, Keith Jardine and Tito Ortiz.

    His time in the promotion is likely most well known for the fact that he is the only man to hold a pro victory over Jon Jones after the consensus greatest of all time was disqualified due to the now legal 12-6 elbow rule back in 2009. In a piece of remarkable news that has got 2025 off to a strong start, Hamill shared a post on social media which detailed a massive change that has happened in his life.

    Via a new digital hearing aid that he has received, after being deaf for all 48 years of his life, he’s able to hear for the very first time.

    “I just got the most powerful digital hearing aids ever made. For the first time in 41 years, I can finally hear my kids’ voices, the sounds of people walking and laughing. I finally heard my mom’s voice and she cried. I’m looking forward to hearing my brother Pat’s voice too. I only hope he doesn’t have a voice like a foghorn. This is awesome although I know it will take time to adapt to all of this. Happy New Year!”

  • Matt Hamill Reacts To 12-6 Elbow Rule Change: ‘Dana White, I Know You’re Desperate To Get Jon Jones An Undefeated Record…’

    Matt Hamill Reacts To 12-6 Elbow Rule Change: ‘Dana White, I Know You’re Desperate To Get Jon Jones An Undefeated Record…’

    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.

    Jon Jones

    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…

  • Why Did Jon Jones Get Disqualified? Only UFC Loss To Matt Hamill Explained

    Why Did Jon Jones Get Disqualified? Only UFC Loss To Matt Hamill Explained

    As Dana White has made abundantly clear, Jon Jones is the best mixed martial artist of all time. He won six out of seven fights after making his UFC debut in 2008 to earn a title shot. The prospect then grabbed the UFC light heavyweight title from Mauricio Rua to become the youngest champion in the promotion’s history.

    Since then, Jones has fought in 15 consecutive title fights and his upcoming bout against Stipe Miocic is likely to be for the undisputed UFC heavyweight championship.

    The only loss on the UFC heavyweight kingpin’s almost-perfect record came in December 2009 against Matt Hamill, via disqualification. Here’s why Jones got disqualified and whether he can update his record as per the latest rules…

    Why Did Jon Jones Get DQ?

    Jon Jones was disqualified against Hamill for throwing consecutive 12-6 elbows at The Ultimate Fighter 10 Finale. 12-6 elbows are illegal according to the Unified Rules of MMA and accordingly, in the UFC.

    “Bones” was dominating the fight from the get-go, piecing up Hamill with kicks from a distance. He then took the latter down, got top position, and unleashed a flurry of elbows to break his guard.

    While most of Jones’ strikes were perfectly legal and the fight was about to be stopped anyway, he threw a couple of 12-6 elbows. Steve Mazzagatti quickly jumped in to stop the fight and disqualified the rising contender.

    Are 12-6 Elbows Illegal In MMA?

    12-6 elbow strikes, also called downward elbow strikes, used to be illegal under the Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts. They can be described as an elbow landed on a grounded opponent imitating the movement of throwing an elbow between 12 to 6 on a wall clock. Due to concerns related to fighter safety, the move was banned until July 2024.

    The Association of Boxing Commissions and Combative Sports voted to lift the ban on 12-6 elbows in July 2024 but the ruling will be effective from November 1, 2024. All state athletic commissions will have to approve these changes in rules separately as well.

    Jon Jones Reacts To 12-6 Elbows Rule Change In The UFC

    Soon after the ABC announced their decision to make 12-6 Elbows legal, Jones took to social media to claim his undefeated record. The UFC veteran even tagged the UFC President to help him overturn his loss.

    “Undefeated then, undefeated now, @danawhite we gotta get that loss out of the history books.” said Jones via Instagram.

    This is not the first time Jones has protested his loss to Matt Hamill. With state athletic commissions yet to approve the change in rules, it is hard to predict whether he will end up having a perfect pro record.

    Read More: Curtis Blaydes Suggests Jon Jones Likely Turned Down ‘Harder Fight’ Against Him For Heavyweight Debut: ‘Smart Decision…’