UFC has informed the fighters competing on
Saturday’s 309 card in NYC that they will be using the old gloves
not the new ones introduced back in June, per multiple sources.
Specific reason unclear at the moment.— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani)
November 12, 2024
A familiar piece of fight gear will be making a return for UFC
309.
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The Las Vegas-based promotion will be utilizing the old version of
the gloves for Saturday’s card at Madison Square Garden in New
York. The gloves
were changed to a new style beginning at UFC 302 on June 1,
with a focus on reducing eye pokes and hand injuries. Multiple
outlets confirmed the news following an initial report from Ariel Helwani.
Fighters and their teams were reportedly made aware of the change
in gloves on Tuesday. It’s currently unclear why the old version is
being brought back for UFC 309.
Jones vs Miocic. Saturday at 10 ET on ESPN+. Order
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The new gloves are produced by fitness and combat equipment company
Dyaco and included updates to the location of the seam and a
different attachment on the wrist. The new design was also supposed
to cut down on damage caused by the gloves themselves. Since their
introduction, there has been speculation that the newer version has
led to fewer knockouts in UFC competition. According to data
compiled by MMAjunkie.com, the decision rate has increased
by 11.5% since they were implemented.
While the new gloves have received criticism, other fighters have
praised them. After UFC 301, Dustin
Poirier offered a
positive review, pointing out that he could make a tighter fist
than he could with the older version.
UFC 309 is headlined by a heavyweight championship fight between
Jon
Jones and Stipe
Miocic. The main card airs on pay-per-view via ESPN+ beginning
at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT.