In a surprising turn of events, former UFC fighter Matt Hamill has issued a statement following the news of a significant change to the unified rules of MMA. Hamill, the only fighter to defeat Jon Jones in the UFC, expressed his thoughts on the rule change and took the opportunity to challenge Jones to a rematch.

The highlight of their encounter took place in 2009 when Hamill faced off against a dominant and unstoppable Jon Jones, who was just four fights into his UFC career. Jones showcased his sensational striking and dominant grappling, establishing his dominance for the first four minutes of the match. However, the fight was abruptly halted by referee Steve Mazzagatti due to illegal elbows thrown by Jones, known as the 12-6 elbows.

The controversial 12-6 elbow rule has been a point of contention since its introduction into the unified MMA ruleset. The elbow, thrown directly from a vertical position, was deemed illegal and has caused several debates. However, the Association of Boxing Commissions and Combative Sports Committee recently announced that starting November 1, the rule will be removed from the unified MMA ruleset. This change means fighters will no longer have restrictions on the angle of their elbow strikes.

Reacting to the news, Jon Jones has once again called upon UFC CEO Dana White to rectify his record and officially remove his loss to Hamill. Despite the fight taking place almost 15 years ago, Jones hopes to appeal the loss and have it overturned to a no-contest.

Meanwhile, Matt Hamill has also expressed his opinion on the matter, issuing a rather unusual statement. Hamill directly addressed Dana White, accusing him of being desperate to secure an undefeated record for Jones and profiting from it. He even called for a rematch with Jones, stating that if he defeats him, he wants a shot at the UFC heavyweight belt. Hamill even offered to step in as a short-notice replacement if Stipe Miocic backs out of his upcoming fight against Jones.

It is worth noting that Hamill, now 47 years old, last competed in MMA in 2018, securing a victory against Chris Birchler at Maverick MMA 6. His last appearance under the UFC banner was in 2013, where he suffered a defeat against Thiago Silva.

As for Jon Jones, he is currently preparing to face Stipe Miocic, widely regarded as the greatest UFC heavyweight of all time, with the highly anticipated fight scheduled for November.

It remains to be seen how the UFC and Dana White will respond to Hamill's challenge and whether they will consider overturning Jones' loss. Nonetheless, the recent rule change has brought significant attention to the historic match between Hamill and Jones, reigniting discussions within the MMA community.