At the UFC Vegas 115 media day, the 32-year-old revealed that he’s been wanting to wear tartan shorts for a long time. For those who don’t know, it’s a patterned cloth widely used in Scotland. Though Duncan said his shorts already had some level of customized touches, he explained that the UFC doesn’t allow custom shorts unless a fighter changes their country to match the color.

“The UFC don’t allow you to change your shorts unless you change your country to match the color,” Duncan said at the UFC Vegas 115 media day. “I wanted a different color maybe two camps ago. I was like, I’m not changing my flag. Why would somebody do that? You’re supposed to be representing your country.

I’m Scottish, so I’m going to have to deal with the black, the white or the blue shorts. But if Dana White watches this, I’ve got a little bit of a design for my shorts, I want tartan shorts,” he added. 

Well, the UFC hasn’t stated any specific public rule about fighters wearing custom shorts. However, they are quite selective when it comes to granting them. Most often, these special designs reflect a fighter’s connection to their country or something personal. At times, they can simply showcase personality.

For instance, former light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira has worn shorts with patterns representing his Pataxó tribe roots, while Max Holloway wears Aloha-style floral shorts, which is the style of Hawaii. On the other hand, Sean O’Malley is known for sporting pink shorts that highlight his colorful personality. So, with those examples, it’s clear that fighters usually need a certain profile or story to receive that level of customization. 

That said, the promotion mostly prefers up-and-coming contenders to wear the standard Venum shorts, the official kit partner, to maintain a distinction from marquee fighters. However, when Duncan brought nationality into the equation, fans began calling out the UFC. 

‘The Problem’ represents Scotland and wants to wear shorts that highlight his country. So, he definitely meets the criteria for custom gear. However, since fighters like Paddy Pimblett and Sean O’Malley have been allowed to wear custom shorts without any strong national element, fans began questioning Dana White over potential favoritism after Duncan’s request was rejected.

Fans call out Dana White for partiality in custom shorts

One fan quickly chimed in and wrote, “That’s funny. What country did Paddy Pimblett represent with orange then? Or Sean O’Malley with the pink? Or do they make exceptions when it’s one of Dana White’s little favorites?” Following that comment, another user added, “These are literally custom shorts, which multiple people have.”

Well, Pimblett didn’t represent any country with his orange shorts. But the Liverpudlian used to wear the same color during his Cage Warriors days, and even MMA legend Kazushi Sakuraba famously sported bright orange shorts.

After that, another fan commented, “Paddy’s are custom, originally so were Sean’s, but we’ve seen multiple fighters use different coloured shorts anyway such as Ian Garry and others who wear purple. Israel Adesanya has worn blue, green and red, etc.”

Now, many fighters have worn different colored shorts, but they aren’t always custom-made. As the fan mentioned, Ian Garry, who wears purple shorts, has a pattern that is still similar to the standard Venum design. And that becomes a distinctive factor when compared to fighters like Ilia Topuria, whose shorts feature elements tied to Spain that are completely different from the standard.

Another fan brought up a strong point, “Guys like Paddy and Campbell made orange or pink into a gimmick on the indies. Sean’s pinks were customs. These guys are marketable and have big fanbases, so they get special treatment for sure.”

That does seem to be a key factor. If you look at Bryce Mitchell, who became the first to rock the custom shorts, he got the camouflage shorts because ‘Thug Nasty’ was already well known among fans. So yes, Dana White and the UFC do appear to pick and choose when it comes to custom shorts.

Lastly, another fan wrote, “Bro, how about Kurtis Campbell getting slimed out in pink shorts in his debut?” It’s a fair point. In that case, Venum could have simply made O’Malley’s pink shorts part of their standard lineup, similar to purple or other less common colors. 

That said, what do you think about custom shorts? Should every fighter have them? Let us know in the comments below.