The UFC will turn back the clock by several months for UFC 309, reverting to its old gloves for fighters in action this Saturday.
Ariel Helwani was first to report news of the switch. No official explanation has been given as to the reasoning, but talk has swirled for months that the newer glove design has resulted in fewer knockouts.
The new-style gloves were introduced on June 1, 2024.
Sources have confirmed to Cageside Press that the promotion was studying the decline in KO/TKO finishes since the newer glove style was introduced. Whether there’s a direct correlation between that, and the switch this coming Saturday, remains to be seen.
It’s also unclear as to whether this will be a single-event switch, or if the old gloves will be back for subsequent events. Cageside Press has reached out to the New York Athletic Commission, to determine if the commission had any input into the change, or a requirement that would necessitate it.
UFC 309 is one of the biggest cards of the year for the company, and features the return of heavyweight champion Jon Jones, facing heavyweight great Stipe Miocic. The pair were originally expected to headline UFC 295 in New York last November, only for “Bones” to be forced off the card due to injury.
