UFC 300 is upon us and we have finally wrapped up all the fight week formalities. In what has been a thoroughly enjoyable buildup, the fans have been treated to a lot of content. At the same time, the unveiling of the brand new UFC gloves had also been something that the fighters have looked forward to for a while.
For those unaware, it was previously reported that the UFC would have a special gear announcement and presentation following the conclusion of the morning weigh-ins. With the reveal of specialized custom shorts for Alex Pereira, Max Holloway, Justin Gaethje, and Xhang Weili done earlier in the week, the fans were excited for what more was to come.
New gloves coming to an Octagon near you 👀
More info: https://t.co/LM2GpGfS2p pic.twitter.com/IV17byIapl
— UFC (@ufc) April 12, 2024
As such, the promotion unveiled their latest gloves, coupled with a very impressive documentary of how the gloves came to be along with a presentation of the different variants. Surprisingly, despite it just being new gloves, there is a lot of new information to unpack.
What do we know about the new UFC gloves?
For the most part, UFC gear has undergone a lot of change over the years. However, the same cannot be said for the gloves, which have more or less remained constant with a few changes here and there. With it being the most important part of a fighter’s gear, it deserves a lot of attention. Seeing that the UFC is rife with eye-poking and cuts, it was about time that the promotion made a change.
As per the announcement, the redesign of the iconic Official Fight Glove will offer athletes enhanced protection, improved fit, greater comfort, and maximum flexibility. Designed and engineered by VICIS, a premium football helmet company, the glove looks to bring in advanced layered foam technology, which will reduce injury and allow the fighter’s hand to be in a much more natural position.
Notably, the gloves, or rather a prototype version of them, have already been in use in the Contender Series. Reportedly, athletes who have appeared in the past 10 weeks, along with their coaches were instrumental in providing feedback and ironing out any final kinks in the product. Similarly, fighters like Vanessa Demopoulos, Julian Erosa, Jessica Andrade, Chase Hooper, and others were also involved in the early testing of the gloves.
New UFC glove- features, improvements, and more
Previously, we’d seen the UFC make minor adjustments to the glove ahead of UFC 287. However, despite it being touted to counter eye-pokes, it was largely unsuccessful. As such, with news of the new glove emerging, many wanted the promotion to adopt the gloves Trevor Wittman and the team at ONX Sports had developed. Although it is not the same glove that and wanted, it comes with its very own set of improvements
For one, it features a wristband locking system, which removes any space permitting an opponent to grab the glove. Similarly, all the seams and stitching for the glove are on the inside rather than the outside, thus reducing cuts and abrasions suffered during a fight. Not only that, but the new and improved innovative padding makes it so that the fingers are in a natural position, reducing eye pokes and protecting any pressure on the bones.
New UFC gloves inbound. Different colors, styles and design.
Here’s a look. pic.twitter.com/qzdavW7nSX
— Mike Bohn (@MikeBohn) April 12, 2024
Just as before, the gloves will be manufactured by Dyaco and will come embedded with NFC chips that utilize technology on the VeChainThor blockchain powered by VeChain, the UFC’s official blockchain partner. The glove will have five variants, a default (Gunmetal), a championship (Gold), a contender series (Blue), a TUF series (Black), and Road to UFC (Red). Lastly, these gloves will come into use from UFC 302, on June 1 in Newark, New Jersey.