UFC 302: Ex-Champ Sean Strickland Torches New Gloves - 'They Absolutely Suck'

The former UFC Champion goes on one of his classic rants, this time about the UFC's latest change which comes into play this Saturday.

Sep 9, 2023; Sydney, NSW, AUSTRALIA; Israel Adesanya (red gloves) fights Sean Strickland (blue gloves) during UFC 293 at Qudos Bank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jasmin Frank-USA TODAY Sports / Jasmin Frank-USA TODAY Sports

Sean Strickland isn't a fan of fighting in new gloves.

After more than 30 years in the business, the UFC is shaking things up with a new glove design that includes a number of additional features and tweaks to their overall construction. The UFC's new '3EIGHT/5EIGHT' gloves reportedly help prevent abrasions and cuts, have more padding to protect vulnerable bone structure and also contain a wristband locking system designed to reduce glove grabbing.

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The gloves will be on full display for the first time at UFC 302, this Saturday, with former UFC Middleweight Champion Strickland being among the first fighters to compete in them. If Strickland had it his way, he'd stick to fighting in the old UFC gloves over the updated ones any day.

Jan 20, 2024; Toronto, Canada, USA; Sean Strickland (red glove) fights Dricus Du Plessis (blue gloves) during UFC 297 at ScotiaBank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports / Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports

"They suck," Strickland said of the new gloves at UFC 302 media day. "I don't know who like... really, could we talk to the person who designed these gloves? Have you ever been in a fight in your f****** life? It's like you get these f****** dorks who have no idea. They're like, 'Oh, this sounds like a good idea.' And they make it. Same thing with motorcycles. Like, I bought motorcycles and they put so much stupid s***on it. How did you a**holes think this was a good idea?"

"So, yeah, they absolutely suck. UFC dropped the ball on that one," Strickland added.

Strickland's rant is one of the first of what could be many complaints from the UFC's athletes regarding the new glove design. UFC Lightweight Champion Islam Makhachev claims the gloves are far more stiff than the originals, and he also believes they could lead to more cuts mid-fight (via Sport24, h/t: Mike Bohn).

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For reference pic.twitter.com/JU1J7rztqx

— Garrett Armfield (@Armfield135) May 4, 2024

The new UFC gloves are also supposed to prevent or reduce the number of eye pokes in the Octagon. Strickland isn't buying everything the promotion is selling with the latest change to their fight gear, claiming they're "creating problems that aren't there".

"What was the reasoning that they want to try to make it so people stop poking people in the eyes?" Strickland added. "They're a little bit more like a stitched. At the end of the day, people f****** get poked in the eyes because they open their f****** hands, unless you put a boxing glove on, that s**** not gonna stop. So, it's just people creating a problem that we did not have. If you get cut because you get hit in the f****** head, don't get hit in the f****** head, you don't get cut. You get poked in the eyes 'cause you f****** open your hands. Don't open your hands, you won't get poked in the eye. So, it's just people creating problems that aren't there."

Fans will have to wait until after UFC 302 concludes to find out how the other 23 fighters competing on the card in Newark, NJ feel about the new UFC glove design. The championship main event between Islam Makhachev and Dustin Poirier will see the two lightweights don new gold gloves reserved for title bouts, while the rest of the fighters such as Strickland and his opponent Paulo Costa will be wearing the standard black gloves familiar to UFC fans.

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