Khalil Rountree is aware of why the brand new UFC gloves didn’t final—and the reply may not be what you assume.
When the UFC debuted an up to date glove design in April 2024, the initial reaction was mixed, with fighters questioning how the gear may have an effect on efficiency and whether or not it might doubtlessly cut back eye pokes. Lower than a yr later, the design was abandoned in favor of the older mannequin, resulting in additional hypothesis as to the reasoning.
Had been they uncomfortable? Did they make it harder for fighters to attain knockouts? Was it simply to appease an sad Jon Jones?
Throughout an interview on the The Joe Rogan Experience, Rountree—who was concerned in growing and testing the brand new gloves—revealed the true cause for the recall.
“The primary factor was that due to the leather-based, the logos weren’t sticking,” Rountree mentioned. “So the logos had been peeling off, peeling off, peeling off. I’m telling you, we tried tons of of various methods to get the UFC brand printed on the gloves in order that they won’t come off within the octagon. From me testing it on the canvas, doing reside conditions, sparring, rubbing it within the cage, blah blah, it simply wouldn’t [stay on].”
When the brand new design was first introduced, it was offered as having the potential to cut back hand accidents and permit for improved hand dexterity. Followers blamed the gloves on lowering the quantity of knockouts throughout their length of utilization, however as a result of comparatively small dimension, information is inconclusive as as to whether the tools was really at fault.
Rountree competed as soon as within the new gloves, donning the gold variant as he challenged champion Alex Pereira for the sunshine heavyweight title at UFC 307. Neither man’s punching energy appeared to undergo from the design as they battered one another for the higher a part of 4 rounds earlier than Pereira discovered a end heading into Spherical 5.
In keeping with Rountree, the problem had extra to do with manufacturing materials than manufacturing knockouts.
“As a result of with all the pieces on the planet, however particularly within the trade of leather-based and suede and all that stuff, if I had a pair of leather-based sneakers from 1970 it’s going to be completely different than the leather-based that’s made as we speak,” Rountree mentioned. “You get what I imply? It’s a unique kind of leather-based. It’s simply not the identical. It was a bit softer, but it surely’s handled otherwise whereas it’s being processed or no matter that entire course of appears to be like like, it’s simply there’s some kind of chemical or one thing that’s simply completely different.”
Rountree added that there have been security issues surrounding the brand new gloves, however not essentially associated to bruises or damaged bones. It was truly the finicky that was the primary supply of their issues.
“It has nothing to do with the knockouts,” Rountree mentioned. “It’s that each time when the fighters come to return a pair of gloves or no matter and even within the struggle, it’s peeling off or chipping off and that’s a hazard if it will get in your eye. It’s extra concerning the security of the fighters, not like, ‘We’d like extra knockouts, change the gloves.’
“It’s extra that the emblem wasn’t adhering and it doesn’t look skilled to have these guys preventing a championship struggle after which right here’s this man elevating his hand and there’s no UFC brand on the glove. All of it will get worn off.”
