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 published was starting.
“One notice beginning tonight and shifting ahead, all fighters will return to utilizing the outdated gloves, not those lately launched,” Gooden confirmed.
The plan to return to the outdated gloves has been within the works for a number of months, however the UFC needed to take time to fabricate sufficient of them for all occasions with out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 quick. So till the manufacturing caught up, the UFC was utilizing the outdated gloves on pay-per-view occasions and the newer glove design on Battle Evening playing cards.
Now that manufacturing has caught up, the brand new gloves are lifeless and the outdated gloves have been resurrected.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 12 months, the objective 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 typical occurring as soon as the up to date design was launched (as a consequence of a restricted pattern measurement, it’s unclear if the brand new gloves have been accountable).
“As a result of there have been a whole lot of complaints,” White said about the new gloves this past November. “We initially created these gloves to cease eye pokes and we had good intentions with them. They didn’t work out. Folks weren’t proud of them.
“So I really made the choice. Referred to as our chief working officer Lawrence [Epstein] and stated I’m switching the gloves, I need the outdated gloves again.”
Among the many fighters who complained concerning the new gloves was UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones, who tried to interrupt in a pair previous to his combat in opposition to Stipe Miocic. His considerations raised sufficient crimson flags that the UFC really returned to the outdated gloves for that occasion with the producers then tasked with producing much more of the outdated gloves for the long run.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 believed they have been tight,” Jones stated concerning the newer gloves previous to his combat. “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 only keep on with what already labored and the outdated gloves are again in motion for all fights and occasions shifting ahead. There’s no phrase if the promotion may take into account a more recent or totally different design for the long run.
