The UFC has officially announced that its old gloves will now be the permanent gloves moving forward. John Gooden announced the news during the telecast of UFC Las Vegas 102.
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The new gloves were introduced ahead of UFC 300 and will now be officially replaced beginning with #UFCVegas102. pic.twitter.com/rYBl77ijof
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) February 15, 2025
The old gloves have been in circulation since 1997, but the company chose to create and release the new “3Eight/5Eight” gloves in April 2024. The new gloves were designed to reduce eye pokes and hand injuries, but fighters began to speak about issues with the new gloves.
“This redesign will truly be a game changer for the entire sport of MMA,” UFC CEO and president Dana White said in the April statement. “These gloves will feel lighter, fit fighters’ hands better, prevent injuries, and provide maximum flexibility during the fights.”
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The new gloves were introduced into competition at UFC 301 in June 2024 and were said to be the permanent choice moving forward. However, a short eight months later, and those gloves have now been replaced.
“The new gloves are now the old gloves,” following UFC 309 in Nov. 2024. Jon Jones was one of the biggest proponents of complaining about the new gloves. The old gloves were introduced back for that card, as Jones would defeat Stipe Miocic to retain the heavyweight title.
“The shape, the curve in your hands, they’re very uncomfortable for me,” Jones said. “I was actually really stressed thinking, ‘How am I going to go into fight week wearing these gloves that I don’t even really want to train in?’”
UFC stat genius Nate Latshaw also revealed that the new gloves led to a huge dropoff in knockout and finish rates.
UFC glove data update prior to #UFC309 This figure compares KO/TKO and knockdown rates between the old gloves (going back to the beginning of 2023) and new gloves (the last ~5 months) both overall and by weight class.The results don’t look great for fans of KO/TKOs and… pic.twitter.com/4Tka0oFO7Y
— Nate Latshaw (@NateLatshaw) November 14, 2024
“When I first got the new gloves, I didn’t like them,” lightweight Renato Moicano told ESPN. “I think they look and felt cheap. The material was not very good, and I didn’t like the design.”
More fighters began to speak out about the new gloves, stating that the fresh attire either felt “uncomfortable,” or “cheap,” in Moicano’s case.
Erin Blanchfield also weighed in, and took umbrage with the look and design as well.
“I wasn’t opposed to the new gloves when they announced they were coming, but when I saw them, I didn’t like how they looked,” Blanchfield said. “I didn’t like the design, and the colors looked tacky and cheap. They looked like something you can buy from a sporting goods store.”
The UFC listened to the complaints and has now done away with the new gloves for good. The old gloves will be permanent, and it might be another 30 years before the organization tries to release another new design.
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