The brand new UFC gloves first unveiled in April 2024 have already been deserted by the promotion with a full-time return to the older gloves beginning at UFC Vegas 102 on Saturday.
UFC play-by-play man John Gooden introduced the information simply as the printed was starting.
“One be aware beginning tonight and transferring ahead, all fighters will return to utilizing the outdated gloves, not those just lately launched,” Gooden confirmed.
The plan to return to the outdated gloves has been within the works for a number of months, however the UFC needed to take time to fabricate sufficient of them for all occasions with out operating brief. So till the manufacturing caught up, the UFC was utilizing the outdated gloves on pay-per-view occasions and the newer glove design on Combat Evening playing cards.
Now that manufacturing has caught up, the brand new gloves are lifeless and the outdated gloves have been resurrected.
When the UFC first introduced the brand new gloves this previous yr, the purpose was to cut back hand accidents and eye pokes whereas sustaining dexterity within the arms so performances and outcomes wouldn’t be affected. Sadly, the suggestions on the brand new gloves wasn’t nice and the outcomes didn’t assist a lot both with much less knockouts than traditional occurring as soon as the up to date design was launched (as a result of a restricted pattern measurement, it’s unclear if the brand new gloves have been responsible).
“As a result of there have been plenty of complaints,” White mentioned in regards to the new gloves this previous November. “We initially created these gloves to cease eye pokes and we had good intentions with them. They didn’t work out. Individuals weren’t proud of them.
“So I really made the choice. Referred to as our chief working officer Lawrence [Epstein] and mentioned I’m switching the gloves, I would like the outdated gloves again.”
Among the many fighters who complained in regards to the new gloves was UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones, who tried to interrupt in a pair previous to his battle towards Stipe Miocic. His considerations raised sufficient pink flags that the UFC really returned to the outdated gloves for that occasion with the producers then tasked with producing much more of the outdated gloves for the long run.
“I attempted them on and I assumed they have been tight,” Jones mentioned in regards to the newer gloves previous to his battle. “I used to slot in XL and within the new glove I needed to placed on a 3XL. The form, curving your arms like that, they have been very uncomfortable for me.”
In the long run, the UFC determined to simply persist with what already labored and the outdated gloves are again in motion for all fights and occasions transferring ahead. There’s no phrase if the promotion would possibly take into account a more recent or totally different design for the long run.
