The UFC has officially reverted back to using the older gloves after briefly introducing new ones in April 2024. The switch back to the old gloves was announced by UFC play-by-play man John Gooden at UFC Vegas 102 on Saturday.
Gooden confirmed, “One note starting tonight and moving forward, all fighters will return to using the old gloves, not the ones recently introduced.”
The decision to go back to the old gloves had been in the works for months, as the UFC needed time to manufacture enough of them for all events. During this transition period, pay-per-view events used the old gloves while Fight Night cards featured the newer design.
Now that manufacturing has caught up, the new gloves have been abandoned in favor of the old ones.
The initial goal of the new gloves was to reduce hand injuries and eye pokes while maintaining performance quality. However, feedback on the new gloves was negative, and there were fewer knockouts with the updated design.
UFC President Dana White acknowledged the complaints about the new gloves and made the decision to switch back to the old ones, citing dissatisfaction among fighters and fans.
Among those who criticized the new gloves was UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones, who found them uncomfortable and opted to use the old gloves for his fight against Stipe Miocic.
Following the feedback and concerns raised by fighters, the UFC decided to stick with the old gloves for all future events. There is no indication if there will be further changes to the glove design in the future.
Jones expressed his discomfort with the new gloves, stating that they were too tight and forced him to wear a larger size than usual.
In conclusion, the UFC has returned to using the old gloves after the brief trial of the new design, with no immediate plans for further alterations.