Khalil Rountree knows why the new UFC gloves didn’t last – and the answer may not be what you think.
When the UFC debuted an updated glove design in April 2024, the first reaction was mixed, in which fighters wondered how the equipment could influence performance and whether it could be possible to reduce eye pokes. Less than a year later, the design was abandoned in favor of the older model, which led to further speculation about the reasoning.
Were they uncomfortable? Did they make it harder for hunters to score knockouts? Was it just to appease an unfortunate Jon Jones?
During an interview on the De Joe Rogan experienceRountree – who was involved in the development and testing of the new gloves – revealed the real reason for the recall campaign.
“The most important thing was that because of the leather the logos did not hold,” said Rountree. “So the Logos Were Peeling Off, Peeling Off, Peeling Off. I’M Counting You, We Tried Hundreds of Different Ways To Get The Ufc Logo Printed on the Gloves So That They Not come in the Octagon. From Me Testing It On The in Invas, Doing Live Sitationsations Just would not [stay on]. “
When the new design was announced for the first time, it was presented as the potential to reduce hand injuries and to enable improved hand toxic. Fans blamed the gloves for reducing the amount of knockouts during their useful life, but because of the relatively small size, data is not convincing whether the equipment had really failed.
Rountree once took part in the new gloves and attracted the Golden Variant when he champion Alex Pereira champion for the light heavyweight title at UFC 307. None of the people seemed to suffer from the design when they had beaten each other for most of four rounds before Pereira found a finish in round 5.
According to Rountree, the problem had more to do with production material than the production of knockouts.
“Because with everything in the world, but especially in the industry of leather and suede and all that stuff, if I had a pair of leather shoes from 1970, it will be different from the leather that was made today,” said Rountree. “You get what I mean? It is a different type of leather. It is just not the same. It was a bit softer, but it is treated differently while it is processed or what that whole process looks like, it is just a kind of chemical or something that is simply different.”
Rountree added that there were safety problems around the new gloves, but not necessarily related to bruising or broken bones. It was actually the picky who was the most important source of their problems.
“It has nothing to do with the knockouts,” said Rountree. “It is that every time the hunters come back a pair of gloves or whatever or even in the fight, it is pelting or finishing and that is a danger if it comes to your eye. It is more about the safety of the hunters, not like:” We need more knockouts, change the gloves. “
“It is more that the logo does not stay and it does not look professional to let these guys fight a championship fight and then here is this guy who cancel his hand and there is no UFC logo on the glove. It is all worn out.”
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