UFC 309: Old Gloves, New Beginnings – Dana White’s Policy Reversal Explained

UFC president Dana White has provided an update on what’s going to happen next when it comes to the old gloves being reintroduced.

It’s not often that you see Dana White admit to wrongdoing. Of course, we all know that promoters get things wrong all the time, especially in the combat sports landscape. With that being said, Dana has always been someone who sticks to his beliefs – and he isn’t going to sit there and take criticism if he doesn’t believe he deserves it.

As of late, we’ve been hearing a lot about the new gloves vs old gloves debate in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. In the lead-up to UFC 309, it was noted that the promotion and Dana White had decided to switch back to the old gloves after complaints from some fighters regarding the new gloves.

It was a strange move in the eyes of some, especially when it emerged that Jon Jones was one of the leading voices in the conversation. The new gloves were created for a few reasons, with one of them being to try and cut down on the number of eye pokes in the promotion.

After UFC 309 came to an end, Dana White addressed the issue in the post-fight press conference.

Dana White confirms UFC glove plans

“Yeah, it’s a permanent move but the problem is that we don’t have enough of the old gloves, so until we can get them all done then yeah, that’s it. You know what, there were good intentions with the new gloves. We spent a lot of time, energy and money on them. There were good intentions, it didn’t work out and it is what it is.” Quotes via Bloody Elbow

Hopefully, one way or the other, we’re able to get more clarity on this messy situation.