Dana White Says He ‘Fought Hard’ to Get Lone Loss Removed from Jon Jones’ Record

Those who have followed the UFC career of Jon Jones since the beginning know that his lone career loss comes with an asterisk.

In Jones’ fourth Octagon appearance, he suffered a disqualification loss to Matt Hamill at “The Ultimate Fighter 10” finale after landing a series of illegal 12-to-6 elbows on his opponent. Steve Mazzagatti was the referee in the fight, and it’s a ruling that still irks UFC president Dana White to this day.

“I mean realistically — if you look at all the people that he’s fought, he’s never lost a fight. It kills me that, that one [loss] is on his record. 26-1,” White said on the Jim Rome Show.

“You have to understand for the people that don’t know, this was during a time when the Nevada State Athletic Commission was very weak and there was a referee in there that stopped the fight and called Jones the loser in that fight. A fight he was dominating and should have been finished. Instead of disqualifying Jones, they should have stopped the fight. Jones right now really should be 27-0.”

White claims that he has lobbied to have the loss removed from Jones’ record but has thus far been unsuccessful.

“That fight should have been stopped, it should have been over, and Jones should be 27-0,” White said. “I fought hard to get that one taken off his record but I haven’t been able to get it done.

“It’s horrible. It’s a referee that I said a million times should not even be in the Octagon reffing. But what are you going to do?”

Jones himself appealed the ruling shortly after the defeat, but those efforts were denied by the denied by the NSAC. Jones will return following a three-year absence in the UFC 285 headliner, when he faces Ciryl Gane for the vacant heavyweight title at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The main card airs on pay-per-view via ESPN+ beginning at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT.