‘What a time to be alive’ – Conor McGregor left stunned by UFC ‘game changer’
The UFC have unveiled their first major redesign to their official fight gloves in over a decade and Conor McGregor is a huge fan.
The revamped handwear, which will debut UFC 302 in June, has been labelled ‘a game changer’ for the sport of MMA by Dana White.
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The UFC have a redesigned fight gloveCredit: UFCThe promotion shared a video about the process involved in reinventing the fingerless gloves during a presentation held prior to UFC 300 this weekend.
The gloves are named 3EIGHT and 5EIGHT in a nod to the number of rounds in a UFC clash, either a championship bout or a non-title fight.
They are produced by American football manufacturer VICIS and unlike the UFC’s traditional all-black offering, they come in a variety of colours.
All fight gloves also include a data chip that will allow the MMA company to identify the pair to a specific fighter and fight.
Read more on Conor McGregorUFC president White told UFC.com: “We have been working on these gloves over the past few years with the best designers, engineers, and athletes in the world.
“This redesign will truly be a game changer for the entire sport of MMA. These gloves will feel lighter, fit fighters’ hands better, prevent injuries, and provide maximum flexibility during the fights.
“You’ll start to see these in competition this summer.”
The gloves are more than an ounce lighter than their predecessor and come with a number of new features and improvements.
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Gold gloves will be used exclusively for championship boutsCredit: UFC
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The gloves come with a new wristband locking systemCredit: UFCIt comes with a new wristband locking system that removes any space that an opponent could use to grab a glove.
Their innovative padding also makes it easier for fighters to keep their fingers in a natural position to mitigate eye pokes.
The issue of eye pokes has been hotly debated in the UFC, with Tony Ferguson among the stars who suffered one last year.
UFC Performance Institute senior vice president Dr. Duncan French added: “The new technology device brought to the table are slip-planes, allows the hand to sit in a much more natural position so the fingers now are no longer kind of facing forward.
“Everyone is trying to seek a way to reduce or mitigate eye pokes, the nature of an MMA glove where your fingers are exposed, we’re never going to be able to take away or completely eradicate eye pokes, but ultimately, what we wanted to see was reducing that significantly and we hope that will be the case with the way that the new glove fits.”
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McGregor could be wearing the new gloves on his UFC returnCredit: GettyJoe Rogan tells Conor McGregor to ‘shut the f*** up’ after the MMA fighter makes bold claim about UFC
Having been earmarked for a debut at UFC 302, superstar McGregor could make his return to the cage in the new gloves.
Notorious has publicly claimed he will face Chandler on June 29 – the date of UFC 303 – although that is yet to be confirmed by the company.
And the Irishman is clearly a huge fan of the new design, having replied to a video of their reveal on X alongside the caption: “Incredible! What a time to be alive!”
