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Former UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones is viewed as one of the greatest fighters ever, however he has a loss on his record that has been a source of controversy for over a decade. In 2009, “Bones” was rising up the ranks of the UFC’s light heavyweight division when he fought The Ultimate Fighter veteran Matt Hamill.
Jones dominated the match and near the end of the first round, Bones had Hamill mounted on the ground and was raining down strikes. However, Jones decided to use 12-6 elbows, and illegal strike, to hit Hamill and referee Steve Mazzagatti stopped the fight. Due to the elbows, Hamill, who was clearly hurt before the elbows, was declared the victor by disqualification.
The loss on Jones’ record still remains his only professional defeat. For years, UFC president Dana White has attempted to overturn the blemish on Jones’ record, believing that Bones shouldn’t have been disqualified from the fight. White has also taken issue with Mazzagatti numerous times in the past, saying that he doesn’t believe the referee should officiate MMA bouts.
White recently spoke with ESPN’s Brett Okamoto about Jones’ loss to Hamill. He said that trying to overturn the loss is nearly impossible and that the Nevada State Athletic Commission, who regulated the bout, was at “its weakest” at the time.
White said:
Think of all the things that he was doing during the time that he was fighting. And still nobody beat him. The guy’s never been beat, you know, and I’ve battled hard to try to get that one [loss] taken off the back of his record. It’s almost impossible to do, which is insane. It’s crazy that that thing doesn’t go away. At the time, when the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) was at its weakest, the guy who was running, it was weak, the people who were involved in it were weak, everybody was weak at that time, you should be able to look back and say, “Okay, let’s make this right.”
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‘Not Looking Good.’ According to White, It Doesn’t Appear the NSAC Will Overturn the Loss
Okamoto asked him if there was any chance that the NSAC will overturn the loss, White said, “So far, no good,” White continued. “I mean, I’ve really, really worked hard to try to get that that one taken off his record, but not looking good.”
Since the bout with Hamill, Jones has gone 17-0 with one no contest. After vacating the light heavyweight strap in 2020, Jones started preparing for a move to heavyweight and hopes to make his debut this year.
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Jones Is Often Compared to Undefeated Khabib Nurmagomedov for Greatest of All Time
Current UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov is ranked No. 1 on the official pound-for-pound rankings and Bones is sitting at No. 2. It’s a spot that Jones held for years, however he lost it after Nurmagomedov defended his strap against Justin Gaethje in October.
Nurmagomedov has an undefeated professional record of 29-0 and has dominated some of the best lightweights in the sport, including Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier. After Nurmagomedov was elevated to the top spot, Jones voiced his disagreement on social media, believing that he is still the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter in the world.
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