The impacts of UFC gloves and the necessity for improved glove design within the sport of MMA
Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) has experienced rapid growth in popularity over recent decades, evolving into one of the world’s biggest combat sports. The leading promoter of MMA events is the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), which is entrusted with the critical task of ensuring fighter safety.
Central to safeguarding MMA fighters is the employment of 4-ounce MMA gloves, a principal means of protection. These gloves were introduced at UFC 14 during 1997. However, whilst protective gear innovation has progressed swiftly in other combat sports, the UFC has yet to modernise its now outdated glove design. The absence of progressive change has yielded detrimental effects for not only the UFC itself, but also for its numerous stakeholders. This has given rise to concerns extending to a broader societal context. The following illustration serves to highlight some of the prominent issues associated with the current UFC design.
Despite having a mandatory role within the sport, existing UFC gloves exhibit a range of limitations that hold the potential to detrimentally affect a fighter’s performance. These limitations encompass a deficiency in grip, constrained mobility, inadequate protection, and the potential to facilitate various rule violations during a bout. In order to rectify these shortcomings, enhanced design propositions must align with the ever-evolving requirements of MMA fighters. The solution should focus on providing superior grip, improved mobility, and better protection for the fighters. Moreover, solutions should consider the latest advances in material science and manufacturing techniques when producing lightweight and durable gloves. The multiple issues surrounding UFC gloves are examined in greater detail below, alongside their respective design solutions.
Issues with current design:
Gloves utilised in UFC events have garnered increased attention due to the escalating occurrence of eye pokes. These transpire when a fighter extends their hand, fingers outstretched, striking their opponents eye. This results in temporary vision impairment, discomfort, and potentially severe harm.
Current UFC gloves exacerbates this problem, as they do not allow full contraction of a fighter’s fist, making it easier to accidentally poke an opponent's eye. The negative impacts this has on UFC fighters is beyond astronomical. A case study conducted by Ohio State Wexner Medical Centre gives an overview of the serious injuries eye pokes can cause. This includes subconjunctival haemorrhage, corneal abrasion, retinal tears, and even retinal detachments. Such fouls can hugely change the tides of a fight and cause the fouled fighter to unfairly lose the bout. This was on full display at UFC fight night 14 where Anthony Johnson received a massive eye poke, rendering him unable to continue thus losing the fight. Not only did Anthony Johnson receive such a massive foul during this fight, he walked away with a much lower earning as per most UFC contracts, the losing fighter only receives the show purse whilst the victor receives an additional win bonus. The health and monetary implications of eye pokes highlight the massive need for improvement of UFC gloves.
During UFC fight night 159, the main event only lasted a total of 15 seconds due to a massive eye poke rendering the fight a no contest. The poked fighter, Jeremy Stephens, was immediately rushed to the hospital where it was discovered he suffered a deep scratch and bruise to his eye. Not only was Stephens unable to fight for some time, his injuries meant he was unable to cover his camp expenses. The negative impact of eye pokes extends beyond just the fighters themselves. The UFC, as the largest MMA promotion, is particularly affected by this issue as it detracts from the spectator experience and undermines the sport’s reputation. Fans expect to see well-matched and competitive fights, however, eye pokes disrupt the flow of the fight and can even end it prematurely. This impacts the UFC’s ability to monetize its events, as fans may choose to watch other forms of combat sports or entertainment instead. This was made extremely apparent in the aforementioned, anticlimactic end of UFC fight night 159. The crowd was in a livid and violent state, and tried to physically hurt Jeremy Stephens as he was escorted out the arena by security. The commotion surrounding this event has left the UFC unable to tap into the Mexican market for sometime despite its rich history of combat sports.
Furthermore, a loss of interest in the broader community could transpire on the account of the continued occurrence of eye pokes within the realm of MMA. Such instances give rise to apprehensions concerning fighter safety and the potential consequences of recurring eye injuries. This could contribute to a decline in public backing for the sport, and potentially impede its expansion. Effectively addressing this problem through innovative enhancements in MMA gloves becomes imperative to guarantee the sport’s integrity, and to help uphold MMA’s standing as one of the biggest combat sports.
Potential solutions:
To address the issue of UFC gloves causing retinal injuries, a new design utilising modern technology and innovation is required. The proposed design solution features a modified finger section that extends beyond the traditional length of the gloves. This extension is made from a flexible and durable material, such as silicone, that will bend and conform to the fighter’s hand, but will also provide additional protection to the opponent’s eyes. The extended finger section will also have a rounded edge, further reducing the risk of eye pokes. Additionally, gloves have been created with curvature at the top which would keep hands contracted into a fist instead of extended. An illustration of this is displayed below.
This correlates with the glove design Trevor Wittman uses for his MMA gym, which are also curved. Joe Rogan, a long time UFC analyst, gave high praise to this innovative idea while also stating this design should be implemented “by all organizations”. The illustrations provided throughout this article has attributed the UFC’s outdated glove design as the cause of recurring eye injuries. Designing a curve system for the gloves using more durable material will greatly solve this problem without sacrificing fighters’ hand flexibility.
In addition to reducing the occurrence of eye pokes, incorporating protective padding over the fingertips of the gloves has commercial considerations. The cost of producing gloves with this design solution would likely be higher than traditional gloves, as the material used for the protective padding would need to meet certain specifications and would require additional labour. However, this design solution could also have a positive impact on the commercial viability of the UFC. The reduction of retinal injuries would improve the safety of the fighters, potentially leading to fewer fight cancellations and increased viewership through a more exciting and injury-free sport. Poor glove design has proven to cost both the UFC and its fighters’ popularity. This was made apparent at UFC Fight Night: Edwards vs. Muhammad, where once again the main event was stopped prematurely due to an eye poke. Both ranked fighters lost a considerable amount of fan support after this event. It even took one of the main event fighters, Leon Edwards, another victory to secure a title shot despite being on an eight-fight win streak.
Additionally, the incorporation of protective padding over the fingertips could also serve as a unique selling point for the UFC and differentiate them from other MMA organizations. For instance, this could drastically improve their relationship with ESPN. Currently, the UFC has a contract to host 40 events per year on ESPN’s streaming service. ESPN is a huge source of revenue for the UFC, with their contract estimated to bring in over 100 million dollars annually for the UFC.
Bringing this together:
Implementing potential design solutions would require collaboration between the UFC, glove manufacturers, and materials suppliers. The UFC would need to specify the requirements for the protective padding material and the design of the gloves. The glove manufacturers would then need to produce the gloves using the specified materials and designs. It would also require the gloves to be approved and pass the regulations of the Nevada athletic commission.
Written by Arabi Al-Masri
