Eyebrows have been raised after the promotion announced that those competing at this weekend’s UFC 309 pay-per-view won’t be using the new gloves.
The mixed martial arts leader has touched back down in New York City this week for its annual numbered event at the iconic Madison Square Garden, where UFC Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones will mark the main attraction.
While he defends his belt against the returning Stipe Miocic in the UFC 309 headliner, co-main eventing will be former lightweight titleholder Charles Oliveira and Michael Chandler, who run it back three and a half years on from their first battle.
During fight week, those names and the rest of the lineup on Nov. 16 were told they wouldn’t be entering the Octagon sporting the new glove design that was introduced this past June.
The promotion announced the change back in April prior to UFC 300, outlining benefits such as additional padding to protect bone structure, a wristband locking system to prevent glove grabs, lighter weight and more flexibility.
A decrease in knockout percentages have kept the new gloves as a prominent talking point since, and the decision to revert back to the old gloves for UFC 309 got the MMA community talking online.
Many pointed to Jones’ history of eye pokes with the old design to share their conspiracy theories on the decision not to use the new gloves for his return fight.
It’s worth noting that the new design didn’t explicitly address the eye-poke issue, and that form of foul has far from been eradicated in the months since it was introduced.
Regardless, that didn’t stop fans from poking fun (pun intended) at Jones’ expense ahead of UFC 309.
