Eye pokes in the UFC have been a serious issue for a significant period of time, with the UFC gloves being labeled a major cause for the issue by many experts. At the recent UFC on ESPN 54 event on March 30, the fight between Chris Weidman and Bruno Silva was marked by several eye pokes between the two fighters. The fight ending sequence which led to a Weidman victory involved a pair of eye pokes. As such, the fight was originally declared a TKO via punches but later, in light of the eye poke leading to the stoppage, the athletic commission changed the result of the bout to a “technical decision”.
Michael ‘Venom’ Page, the former Bellator star who made his UFC debut at UFC 299, had stated in an interview, “The gloves, in all honesty: not that good. I was actually disappointed. Comparatively speaking, (they’re) nowhere near as comfortable (as Bellator’s gloves), to be fair.” Now, let’s take a look at a possible solution provided by Justin Gaethje’s coach, Trevor Wittman, and the differences in the UFC’s gloves compared to the ones designed by him.
Trevor Wittman’s gloves are designed to keep fighters’ hands in a “natural position”
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A recent report revealed that after the UFC 300 official weigh-ins end, the promotion will hold a ‘new UFC glove launch’ presentation. As such, many fans were left wondering if the UFC is going to adopt a new glove, possibly one designed by renowned MMA coach Trevor Wittman, who has trained names like Rose Namajunas, Kamaru Usman, and the BMF title holder, Justin Gaethje.
The gloves designed by Wittman were also promoted on the Joe Rogan Experience (JRE) Podcast by former fighter, Rashad Evans. In his appearance on the JRE MMA Show no. 90, Evans showcased innovative MMA gloves that were designed by Wittman himself.
He stated, “This allows your hands to stay in a natural fist-locked position… curved right away. If you see the strapping system in there so that you don’t get that boxing break in your hands, it keeps everything all the muscles, ligaments, and bone in place.”
During the conversation, Evans also highlighted the difference between the UFC and Wittman’s glove as he explained that the UFC glove, by nature of its design, extends a fighter’s fingers outwards, leading to more eye-pokes. While Wittman’s gloves are designed to “curve” the hand. So, while one uses Wittman’s gloves, extending your fingers becomes a conscious decision and not an accidental result of the equipment’s poor design.
Rogan also agreed with Evans as he stated, “That’s way better. Like, the old Pride gloves. Good padding too. I like them a lot. It’s better than the ones UFC is using right now.”
As fans eagerly await the unveiling of the new UFC gloves, it remains to be seen whether the promotion will be using Wittman’s design or if they have another choice in mind. However, according to a UFC veteran, there was already a solution available to the problem a long time ago!
‘The Immortal’ reveals that PRIDE FC had solved the eye-poke issue before the UFC
Veteran UFC fighter Matt Brown recently voiced his frustration over the ongoing issue of eye pokes plaguing the promotion. Brown, who has been with the UFC for nearly 18 years, expressed his dismay after Chris Weidman’s victory over Bruno Silva at UFC Atlantic City was marred by eye pokes.
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In a statement made on ‘The Fighter vs The Writer’ podcast, he stated, “How many eye pokes are we going to have to see before we f****** fix these gloves?”
He emphasized the difficulty fighters face in making a fist with the standard UFC gloves, which often force their fingers to remain extended. But according to him, PRIDE FC, the renowned Japanese promotion had already solved the problem back in the day. ‘The Immortal’ went on to state, “The PRIDE glove went all the down (the finger) and it was already curved… if you just completely relaxed your hand, your hand was basically in a fist”
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Brown’s frustration underscored the urgency for the UFC to address this long-standing problem and prioritize fighter safety. In conclusion, while the unveiling of new UFC gloves presents a potential solution, the promotion needs to prioritize fighter safety and adopt effective measures to prevent eye pokes as Matt Brown and other fighters have demanded.
