Ahead of UFC 309, fighters will be using the old version of UFC gloves instead of the newer style due to controversy and complaints about the latter, which were designed to reduce eye pokes and hand injuries.
There’s an old saying: everything old becomes new again. Surprisingly, this seems true for MMA gloves too.
Ahead of UFC 309 this Saturday, fighters were informed they’d be using the older version of UFC gloves. This is instead of the new style that was rolled out on June 1. UFC officials confirmed this switch to MMA Fighting’s Damon Martin on Tuesday.
Ariel Helwani first reported the news. He’s always on top of things!
The newer gloves aimed to reduce eye pokes and hand injuries. They featured less rigidity than before and updates to seams, padding, wristbands, and finger holes. They made their debut at UFC 302 in New Jersey. However, they’ve stirred controversy among some fighters.
Fans have speculated that these new gloves might lead to fewer knockouts. There’s been a noticeable drop in the knockout rate since their introduction earlier this year. But who knows? This could just be due to a small sample size.
UFC 309 features a heavyweight title fight between Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic. It’s happening this Saturday at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Should be epic!
Guilherme Cruz contributed to this report.