UFC Leadership Explains Why The Old Gloves are Here to Stay and Will Not Be Revised Again
The OG UFC gloves are here to stay.
Last year, the promotion unveiled a brand-new glove design dubbed the 3Eight and the 5Eight. Coming in a variety of colors like gold, blue, and the traditional black, the fightwear was designed to deliver maximum comfort and a secure fight while reducing the overall weight.
The gloves were also touted to reduce the number of eye pokes inside the Octagon, though exactly how that was going to be accomplished was never clearly explained.
The gloves made their official debut at UFC 302 on June 1 with Islam Makhachev and Dustin Poirier dawning the gold-colored mits for their lightweight championship showdown in New Jersey.
Five months later, the new gloves were out and the old ones were back in.
UFC exec says there ‘could be’ a new glove introduced down the line
Jon Jones was one of the biggest proponents of complaining about the new gloves which prompted the promotion to go back to the old design for his title defense against Stipe Miocic in November. Then in February, it was announced at UFC Vegas 102 that all fighters would return to using the old gloves.
Speaking with LowKick MMA and other reporters at the UFC London post-fight press conference, UFC exec David Shaw offered some insight into the permanent change back to the new gloves, noting that there could be a new version of the UFC glove introduced down the line.
But for now, what once was old is new again.
“I mean I think Dana, Sean, Mick, Hunter, they spoke to a lot of different athletes and everyone seems to want to go back to the old gloves so for for now that’s the plan until it’s not and there’ll be other gloves but I think for now we’re we’re going to continue to roll with those,” Shaw said.
