Dr. Johnny Benjamin on the 12-6 elbow
What are the biggest risks of 12-to-6 elbows, and do you believe they should be illegal in mixed martial arts…
What are the biggest risks of 12-to-6 elbows, and do you believe they should be illegal in mixed martial arts competitions? – Blaize Richardson
This has become a very popular question after the destruction of Matt Hamill by Jon “Bones” Jones during the The Ultimate Finale 10 Finale. It’s a shame that Bones was disqualified for illegal blows because prior to that, the outcome of the fight was no longer in question.
An elbow strike delivered by a grounded fighter from a 12-o’clock position is not significantly more or less dangerous than a blow delivered from an 11-o’clock position. Furthermore, with mounted fighters intelligently defending themselves by squirming, switching hips, covering up, etc., it is an extremely difficult rule to enforce properly . I emphasize the phrase intelligently defending because if a fighter is unable to do so, as per the rules, the fight should be halted.
The theoretical concern from a medical viewpoint is the blow pinning the head to the ground, and therefore, not allowing the body/neck to effectively dissipate the force.
I believe that all elbows to legal areas of the head of a grounded opponent should be considered legal. It could then be more uniformly enforced by the referee.