New UFC Gloves ‘Too Stiff’ Will Cause More Cuts, Says Islam Makhachev Before UFC 302

With the UFC making constant improvements to their gear, they recently came up with a new version of the official fight gloves. However, from the looks of it, lightweight champion Islam Makhachev isn’t happy with the new design as he believes it will lead to more injuries.

UFC 302 will mark the official debut of UFC’s new patented design and Makhachev will be donning the same gloves while defending his belt against Dustin Poirier. That is why an overtly concerned Makhachev talked about the new design’s drawbacks in an exclusive interview with Sport 24, where he said,

“The [new gloves] are very stiff. They will cause more cuts, as the previous UFC gloves were softer. These are stiffer. They don’t let you fully open your hand just to make sure the fingers don’t extend straight forward. But overall, they are pretty much the same. I am going to frame them next to the belt, as the first golden gloves in the UFC.”

Islam says that the new gloves will cause more cuts because of the stiffness to them 👀 #UFC302 pic.twitter.com/xdwclPnB0H

— Spinnin Backfist (@SpinninBackfist) May 25, 2024

Interestingly, the UFC came up with the new gloves in their bid to reduce eye pokes. They even rolled out a gold-colored design befitting a champion, but Makhavhev felt that the older models were much softer and would result in fewer cuts.

Eye pokes have been a constant concern for fighters and the new glove is UFC’s answer to reduce injuries all while offering maximum flexibility. Still, while the Russian seems unimpressed by the new design, his opponent, Dustin Poirier, put his weight behind Dana White, approving the new gear.

Dustin Poirier approves UFC’s new glove design – “I like them” 

Numerous fighters have been sidelined cause of eye pokes with Belal Muhammad’s case being the most recent one. While such a technique is pretty common in street fights, professional fighters resorting to eye pokes is embarrassing for the entire MMA community and UFC has decided to put a full stop to it.

Hence, after a lot of research, the organization unveiled its new glove design that limits the extension of fingers in an effort to curb eye pokes. Essentially, the new glove is much stiffer and more comfortable. Reflecting on the same, ‘The Diamond’ weighed in during his time with Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour–

“I like them. They’re a lot easier to make a closed fist.”

Proving his point, he pointed out that the older gloves were flat and made it difficult for fighters to close their fists causing fatigue. The new design as per him is more comfortable and well-designed. With that being said, we fans will get a proper introduction to the new design when Poirier takes on Makhachev at UFC 302 in Newark, NJ on June 1.