Sean Strickland is not a fan of the new UFC gloves.
This Saturday, June 1, the promotion will return to Newark, New Jersey for a loaded fight card headlined by a massive lightweight championship scrap and a high-stakes middleweight co-main event. Also making their official premiere will be the UFC’s new 3Eight and 5Eight gloves.
The UFC has introduced new official fight gloves for all fighters 🔥 pic.twitter.com/HbgHxMKyD1
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) April 12, 2024
First unveiled in April, UFC CEO Dana White revealed that the newly designed handwear would “feel lighter, fit fighters’ hands better, prevent injuries, and provide maximum flexibility during the fights.”
Not only that, but they also come in an assortment of colors, including gold which will be exclusively used for championship bouts like Saturday’s clash between 155-pound king Islam Makhachev and division fan favorite Dustin Poirier.
However, not everyone is thrilled with the new fit.
Speaking with members of the press during his UFC 302 media day appearance, Sean Strickland was heavily critical of the new fit.
“Yeah, they suck, dude — I don’t know who, like can we talk to the person who designed these gloves; have you ever been in a fight in your f*cking life? It’s like you get these f*cking dorks that have no idea [and] they’re like ‘Oh this sounds like a good idea, and they make it.’ They put so much stupid sh*t on it, like how did you a**holes think that this was a good idea? So yeah, they absolutely suck, and the UFC dropped the ball on that one.”
Sean Strickland says UFC "dropped the ball" with their new gloves:
"Can we talk to the person who designed these gloves? Have you ever been in a f*cking fight in your life?" pic.twitter.com/nJoY4jD5aK
— MMA Fighting (@MMAFighting) May 29, 2024
Sean Strickland Doesn’t See the New Gloves Doing Anything to Reduce Eye Pokes in Fights
One of the biggest concerns fans wanted to see addressed by the new design is eye pokes — more specifically, reducing the amount of eye pokes that occur mid-fight. Unfortunately, Strickland doesn’t see that changing unless the UFC decides to put all of their fighters in boxing gloves.
Or, you know, people stop opening up their hands.
“What was the reasoning that they wanted so people stopped poking people in the eyes? Well, they’re a little bit more stitched, and at the end of the day, people get poked in the eye because they open their hands. Unless you put a boxing glove on, that sh*t ain’t going to stop so it’s just people creating a problem that we did not have,” Strickland argued.
“If you get cut because you got hit in the f*cking head, don’t get hit in the f*cking head and you don’t get cut. If you get poked in the eye because you f*cking opened your hand, don’t open your hand and you won’t get poked in the eye… It’s people creating problems that weren’t there.”
Watch Strickland’s full media day appearance below:
