Daniel Cormier speaks out against rule change that could see bitter UFC rival Jon Jones get lone loss overturned

Former dual-weight UFC champion Daniel Cormier is one of the few people against ‘12-6 elbows’ being legalised.

Last month, the Association of Boxing Commissions (ABC) voted unanimously to lift the ban on downward elbow strikes, which had been in place since the MMA Unified Rules were created in 2000.

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The decision was met with glee by fighters and UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones immediately began talking about getting the lone loss on his record overturned.

In 2009, Cormier’s bitter rival infamously suffered his only MMA defeat when he was disqualified for hitting Matt Hamill with several illegal ‘12-6 elbows’.

‘Bones’ was dominating their fight until referee Steve Mazzagatti decided he had thrown several straight-up, straight-down elbow strikes to a grounded opponent.

Attempts to overturn the result have been made by the 27-1 two-weight champion and the UFC, but they have all been denied.

Now there’s fresh hope that Jones will have his perfect record restored.

Cormier recently became the first high-profile MMA figure to disagree with the rule change as he thinks it could pave the way for much more brutal strikes being legalised.

‘DC’ is particularly concerned about ‘Soccer Kicks’ – kicking a downed opponent in the head – being legalised as they are in various MMA promotions around the world.

“I don’t like that,” Cormier said on his “Funky and the Champ” show with Ben Askren.

“I don’t like 12-to-6 elbows, and I don’t like soccer kicks. I do not want to see soccer kicks.

“I just don’t want anything that makes fighting look like a street fight. That’s it.

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“John McCain, before he passed, was against fighting because he said, ‘It’s human cockfighting.’ Then they would show these videos of gang fights, people running around and people on the ground, and they would kick them in the face.

“If we get to soccer kicks, it starts to look like that again, and that’s not good.

“I don’t care as much about ‘12-6 elbows’, but I think the moment we start opening those rules again, then it’s going to be more and more and more, and ultimately, we’ll get back to soccer kicks.”

Cormier and Jones first met inside the Octagon at UFC 182 in 2015.

It was a hotly contested affair as the two men had already come to blows during a press conference for their ill-fated UFC 178 match-up that was scrapped due to an injury.

Jones ultimately walked away with a unanimous decision win over his rival.

After some drama in his personal life, Jones was stripped of his 205lb title and Cormier ended up winning it before they were booked to face each other again at UFC 200.

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However, just three days before the bout, UFC boss Dana White had to inform Cormier that Jones had failed a drugs test and that their fight would no longer go ahead.

They finally met again at UFC 214 in 2017, with Jones once again picking up the victory, only this time he stopped his foe with a flurry of punches following a brutal head kick.

The biggest win of Jones’ career ended up being wiped from his record after it was revealed that he had once again failed a drug test – he was subsequently stripped of his title and banned from the sport for 15 months.

Cormier has been retired for a few years and Jones continues to compete as a heavyweight, but their rivalry still simmers beneath the surface.

These comments about the ’12-6 elbow’ rule could spark another verbal clash between the UFC legends.