It’s out with the new and in with the old – at least for now.
Ahead of Saturday’s UFC 309 card at Madison Square Garden in New York, competing fighters and their teams were notified the old-style gloves will be used rather than the new-style ones that were implemented June 1.
Three people with knowledge of the situation told MMA Junkie teams were notified Tuesday, though reasoning for the decision to revert is unclear. Ariel Helwani was first to report the change.
The new-style gloves have been used by the promotion in every event since June 1. In the initial revelation of the glove design, the promotion touted better construction, fitting, and material. The motives for the changes included an attempt to prevent eye pokes and broken hands.
Since the implementation of the new-style gloves, fans and media members have questioned if the design has lead to a decrease in knockouts and TKOs.
According to data compiled by MMA Junkie’s Mike Bohn, the knockout rate from the start of 2021 to the mid-year change in 2024 was fairly consistent, hovering around the 31-34 percent range.
Since the implementation, however, the knockout rate has dropped to 22.9 percent. The decision rate has increased 11.5 percent.
Following UFC 303 on June 29, a card during which there were five TKOs/knockouts, UFC CEO Dana White was asked about the change in design and it’s potential contribution to a lack of stoppages and admitted he was unsure.
However, in an interview with TNT Sports ahead of UFC 308 in October, White seemed a little less eager to credit the correlation.
“Who the hell knows?,” White said. “Who can really gauge that? … I don’t think… I haven’t even thought about that. The fact anybody is even talking about that is actually kind of silly, that there would be less knockouts because of the gloves. I’ve seen plenty of knockouts since the new gloves.
At the time of publication, MMA Junkie has not received a response from the New York State Athletic Commission (NYSAC) to an inquiry checking if the glove changes were due to potential regulatory statutes. This story will be updated should comment be received.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 309.