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The UFC has officially scrapped its newly introduced glove design, opting to return to the classic gloves moving forward. The switch takes effect immediately, starting with UFC Vegas 102. UFC play-by-play commentator John Gooden confirmed the decision at the beginning of the event’s broadcast.
“One note starting tonight and moving forward, all fighters will return to using the old gloves, not the ones recently introduced,” Gooden stated.
The move had been in the works for months, but the UFC needed time to manufacture a sufficient supply of old gloves before fully committing to the change. Until now, pay-per-view events continued using the old gloves, while the newer design was tested on Fight Night cards. Now, with production fully ramped up, the UFC has abandoned the new gloves altogether.
The updated gloves, unveiled in April 2024, were designed to improve fighter safety by reducing hand injuries and eye pokes while maintaining dexterity. However, the response from fighters was overwhelmingly negative, and data suggested that knockout rates may have dropped. While the sample size was small, UFC President Dana White ultimately decided to revert to the old gloves.
“Because there were a lot of complaints,” White said in November. “We originally created these gloves to stop eye pokes and we had good intentions with them. They didn’t work out. People weren’t happy with them.
“So I actually made the decision. Called our chief operating officer Lawrence [Epstein] and said I’m switching the gloves, I want the old gloves back.”
One of the loudest critics of the new design was UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones, who struggled with the fit before his scheduled fight against Stipe Miocic.
“I tried them on and I thought they were tight,” Jones explained. “I used to fit in XL and in the new glove I had to put on a 3XL. The shape, curving your hands like that, they were very uncomfortable for me.”
With numerous complaints from fighters and unsatisfactory results, the UFC has now fully reverted to the old gloves. While there is no word on whether the promotion will explore another redesign in the future, for now, the tried-and-true gloves are here to stay.