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In a fiery display of candor, Sean Strickland, the former UFC middleweight champion, minced no words when he took aim at the revamped UFC glove design. With his return to the octagon imminent in the upcoming UFC 302 co-main event against Paulo Costa, Strickland used Wednesday’s media day to unleash a scathing critique of the new gloves.
Strickland's dislike for the new design was palpable as he exclaimed,
“Yeah, they suck. I don’t know who – could we talk to the person who designed these gloves? Have you ever been in a fight in your f*cking life?" His passionate rant continued, lambasting the design process and questioning the competence behind it.
"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… How did you a**holes think this was a good idea? They absolutely suck. UFC dropped the ball on that one.”
Saturday’s UFC 302 event marks the debut of the controversial new glove design, intended to address the long-standing issue of eye pokes in MMA matches. However, Strickland vehemently disputes the necessity of this redesign, placing the blame squarely on the fighters themselves.
“What was the reasoning? They wanted to make it so that people stop poking people in the eyes? Well, they’re a little bit more stitched. And, dude, at the end of the day, people f*cking get poked in the eyes because they open their f*cking hands. Unless you put a boxing glove on, that sh*t’s not gonna stop," Strickland asserted.
In his view, the root cause of eye pokes lies in fighter behavior rather than equipment deficiencies. He asserts,
“It’s just people creating a problem that we did not have. If you get cut because you get hit in the f*cking head, don’t get hit in the f*cking head, you don’t get cut. You get poked in the eyes because you f*cking open your hands. Don’t open your hands, you won’t get poked in the eyes. It’s just people creating problems that aren’t there.”
Strickland's outspoken critique has sparked debate within the MMA community, raising questions about the efficacy of the new glove design and the responsibility of fighters in preventing eye pokes.
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