New York State Athletic Commission to officially adopt new MMA rules ahead of UFC 309
Jon Jones can officially use the move that cost him the only loss of his career when he returns to action against Stipe Miocic at UFC 309 in New York on Nov. 16.
On Thursday, the New York State Athletic Commission confirmed to MMA Fighting that rules changes for MMA approved by the Association of Boxing Commission (ABC) have been adopted and go into effect starting on Nov. 1. The measure was actually approved in September with the commission deciding to adopt the new rules set forth by the ABC.
“The New York State Athletic Commission will adhere to the Unified Rules for MMA at UFC 309 on November 16, as explained in the attached bulletin issued by the Commission on Sept. 5, 2024,” commission officials said in a statement.
While Unified MMA Rules are defined by the ABC, each athletic commission still has to approve the changes before it officially goes into effect.
The two specific rules changed involve eliminating the 12-to-6 elbow as a foul in MMA and a new definition for a grounded fighter.
The 12-to-6 elbow defined as a straight up and straight down strike that was previously deemed illegal is the move that Jones used during a lopsided fight against Matt Hamill back in 2009. Jones was seemingly on his way to a victory when he unleased the downward elbows that were called a foul but when Hamill couldn’t continue, the fight was stopped and the future UFC heavyweight champion was disqualified for the illegal strikes.
That disqualification stands as the only blemish on Jones’ otherwise perfect record.
As for the second rule change, that involves the definition of a grounded fighter and when strikes can be thrown to the head. Here’s the new rule that goes into effect on Nov. 1:
“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).”
In other words for a fighter to be considered “grounded,” he or she must have another body part like an elbow or knee down on the ground in addition to hands and feet or they are susceptible to knees or kicks from an opponent.
The definition of a grounded opponent has evolved over the years but some athletic commissions have not adopted updated rules changes so it resulted in a lot of confusion among athletes depending on where the fights took place.
When it comes to UFC 309 in New York, fighters will operate under the new rules when it comes to a grounded opponent as well as the use of 12-to-6 elbows.
UFC 309 pits Jones against Miocic in the main event while Michael Chandler makes his long awaited return to action against Charles Oliveira in the co-main event.