The only thing standing in Jon Jones’ way of being a 25-0 fighter is a disqualification loss from 2009. It was the athlete’s fourth UFC fight, and he was fighting Matt Hamill in the finale card of The Ultimate Fighter season 10. Jones had unleashed a series of elbow strikes against his opponent, appearing to finish Hamill off and end the fight, but then, the referee ruled that because Jones had landed the strikes in an illegal up-and-down motion, he — not Hamill — would be the loser of the fight.
Now, Dana White is planning on working with the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) to overturn the decision. White has long-standing and well-known issues with the referee in question (Steve Mazzagatti), and he didn’t hold back when talking to ESPN about the situation.
“[Jon Jones has] never lost a fight ever. That one loss on his record — we’re trying to get that [overturned]. It was at a time and a place in the Nevada State Athletic Commission when it was at its worst… It was the weakest commission ever in the history of Nevada, and the referee that reffed that fight shouldn’t have even been in there, and he disqualified Jon, which shouldn’t have happened either. So hopefully we can get that overturned.”
MMA Fighting contacted the NSAC executive director, who “declined to comment” about White’s statements.
Jones’ current record as it stands is 24-1 with one no-contest.
