UFC President Dana White has announced that the upcoming UFC Fight Night 246, scheduled for the night of November 3 in Canada, will permit "12-6" elbow strikes.
For those of you watching tomorrow, the rules change: the 12-6 elbow is now legal, and the ground-and-fight rule, when you have one hand down on the ground, is gone. You can’t do that anymore, and 12-6s are legal.
Dana White
It’s worth noting that in the summer of 2024, the Association of Boxing Commissions and the Mixed Martial Arts Committee (ABC) voted to lift the ban on 12-6 elbows, which are strikes delivered at a direct vertical angle from above.
Additionally, it has been clarified that a fighter who is touching the canvas with one hand can’t be considered grounded, allowing for kicks to the head. These changes will take effect on November 1.
It should be highlighted that it was a 12-6 elbow strike that led to Jon Jones' disqualification in his fight against Matt Hamill in December 2009.