MMA has undergone several rule changes, the most recent being the lifting of the ban on 12-6 elbow strikes. The maneuver notably cost Jon Jones his only loss in professional MMA when it was illegal.
However, the move, which is now legal, caused some controversy during the fight between Gillian Robertson and Luan Pinheiro at UFC Vegas 100.
Luana Pinheiro Goes Off on Gillian Robertson for Using 12–6 Elbows
UFC Edmonton on Nov. 2, 2024, was the promotion’s first event after the Association of Boxing Commissions removed the ban on 12–6 elbow strikes. UFC had been following the Unified Rules of MMA since Nov. 2000, though the ABC adopted it unanimously in 2009.
Cody Gibson created history by cutting Chad Anheliger with the move in the prelims of the fight night. A week later, at UFC Vegas 100, the move made a lot of buzz, but for all the wrong reasons. Robertson repeatedly used the move on Pinheiro’s an*s, for which the Brazilian later slammed her opponent.
“Sorry for my language, but she elbowed me in the anus. For me, that’s disrespectful. I would never do that to another athlete,” Pinheiro said [in Portuguese] in an interview with Ag Fight.
“It’s not a move to submit me or knock me out, it’s not like that… In my opinion, she did it maliciously and with bad intentions.”
Robertson had already had a lead on the scorecards and used the move by the end of the third round. As such, Pinheiro also believes it can’t be justified as done in the heat of the moment.
“At first, I couldn’t walk, cough, or laugh, and sneezing was agony… I felt like I was dying,” Pinheiro added, disclosing she felt immense pain in the body part and couldn’t even sit, even requiring medication to alleviate the discomfort.
Interestingly, Robertson disclosed in the UFC Vegas 100 post-fight press conference that she was working on using 12-6 elbow strikes throughout her fight camp. She casually mentioned “12-6 to the bu** at the end of the third” when a reporter asked about it.
The victory over Pinheiro extended Robertson’s winning streak to three. The 29-year-old had never achieved it before, as she has four two-fight win streaks. She extended the streak to four, finishing Marina Rodriguez, who retired after the fight, at UFC Des Moines.
Meanwhile, the loss extended Pinheiro’s losing streak to three. A TKO loss to Amanda Ribas started the streak, followed by a submission loss to Angela Hill. Pinheiro had reeled off four straight wins after earning a UFC contract with a TKO victory over Stephanie Frausto on “Dana White’s Contender Series.”
Pinheiro’s next fight is against Tecia Pennington at the upcoming UFC Vegas 106, headlined by Gilbert Burns vs. Michael Morales. Pennington last fought at UFC 307, defeating Carla Esparza, the former two-time UFC Strawweight Champion, by decision. Esparza retired after the fight.