UFC New Gloves: Will It Stop Eye Pokes? What’s the Difference Between Old & New Version?

Published 04/12/2024, 3:32 PM EDT

Just recently, UFC BMF champion Justin Gaethje criticized the UFC for the design of its gloves. ‘The Human Highlight’s criticisms came after an egregious example of an eye poke during a recent Fight Night card.

But Gaethje was not the first UFC superstar to call out the design of its gloves, with luminaries such as Michael Bisping and Joe Rogan being others who have come out against the UFC’s gloves. And it seems Dana White and the UFC have finally paid heed to the criticism and have come out with a brand new glove design.

The UFC introduces a latest glove design.

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On the occasion of UFC 300, the UFC has announced that it is introducing new glove designs to replace the old variant. The new gloves have been christened 3EIGHT and 5EIGHT by the promotion and will be used by fighters in all upcoming UFC events.

The UFC have announced a redesign of their official gloves, which were designed and engineered by @vicispro
DETAILS👇 pic.twitter.com/KIQeQMr7cA
— Aaron Bronsteter (@aaronbronsteter) April 12, 2024

The promotion has introduced two main variations of the gloves, one black, named 3EIGHT, and one golden, called 5EIGHT, to be used exclusively in championship bouts. While the golden gloves will only be worn in title bouts, the UFC has introduced pink, sky blue, and a few other variations of the new glove. Except for the aesthetic differences, there is no difference in the actual architecture and design of the gloves.

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According to reports, the gloves have a new wristband locking system that promises a better fit, along with reduced seams in the gloves to prevent abrasions and cuts. In addition, finger bindings have been reduced, along with more padding on the index and pinky finger to prevent bones from breaking.

New design expected to solve eye poke dilemma

Along with this, the size of the gloves has been modified for a better fit. The gloves would be available in ten unisex sizes, ranging from XXXS to XXXXL. The gloves have also been reduced in weight and will weigh around 1–1.5 ounces less than the old gloves.

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Notably, the finger holes have been angled off the perpendicular, which is likely to make finger straightening harder and thus reduce finger pokes. The UFC has introduced a new technology called VICIS RFLX stacked foam padding, which it claims has been engineered for maximum flexibility and protection for the gloves.

What do you think about the UFC’s new glove design? Do you think it will reduce the instances of eye pokes in the promotion? Or is this just another promotional stunt from UFC?

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Written by:

Kanishk Thakur is a UFC writer at EssentiallySports with nearly 5 years of professional writing experience. Kanishk has expertly covered the heated rivalries of the fight game, and delivered meticulous reports of payouts of PPV events and Fight Nights, in addition to covering the personal side of fighters outside the sport. He is also an ardent Joe Rogan fan, who hopes to draw in more fans to the sport as Rogan did for him.

Edited by:

Riya Singhal

UFC New Gloves: Will It Stop Eye Pokes? What’s the Difference Between Old & New Version?

The UFC introduces a latest glove design.

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New design expected to solve eye poke dilemma