We’re 32 years into the UFC’s tenure, but we still haven’t gotten over the hurdle of eye pokes. In fact, a whole card was brought down to its knees because of one moment: an ill-timed, unintentional eye poke by Ciryl Gane, which put the champion Tom Aspinall out of commission. Eye pokes are bad, but imagine them happening at heavyweight, that too, “knuckle deep,” as purported by the undisputed champion.

Dana White and UFC did try to alleviate this problem with the new glove design they introduced last year, but those were soon scrapped for the old design at the behest of former two-division UFC champ Jon Jones before his ‘last fight’ with the promotion. So that brings us back to square one? Is there no out for flawed glove designs in MMA? Well, not entirely accurate because a now-defunct prominent player in the space came up with the perfect design, suited for a sport as grueling as mixed martial arts.

When PRIDE FC came up with the perfect glove design for MMA

Before the UFC dominated the MMA consciousness, several other players were making moves in the scene. In the late 90s and early 2000s, when the UFC was being scrutinized as “human cockfighting” in the USA, Japan had fully embraced the sport, with PRIDE FC emerging as the center for talent, not just in Asia, but from the West as well. In fact, the promotion had come up with the perfect design, a solution that could perhaps fix the various issues with the UFC ‘s glove designs of the present day, including those nasty eye pokes.

Unlike the UFC gloves, the PRIDE gloves were designed with an open palm. But that’s not what helps fighters avoid poking their opponents. These gloves, made by a brand named Winning, have a much more curved design, causing the fingers to curl back. Bellator had used a similar design in collaboration with Everlast, which also had a curved arch, but the PRIDE FC gloves were leagues superior.

Eventually, Pride FC was acquired by UFC’s former parent company, Zuffa, in 2007. Since then, all property (intellectual or otherwise) related to the promotion has been collecting dust in the warehouses. Keeping the spree of eye pokes that constantly happen, not just in high-profile fights, it might be time to bring the PRIDE FC glove design back because fighters, analysts, and commentators alike have praised these gloves. In fact, UFC veteran commentator Joe Rogan also believes that these gloves have the necessary design to solve Dama White’s promotion’s biggest problem.

Joe Rogan’s admiration for the PRIDE FC glove design

As we’ve mentioned, Dana White and Co. tried to tweak the design of the gloves, but eye pokes continue to happen. The changes that the UFC tried to implement in its glove design even left Joe Rogan unimpressed. In fact, he’s been calling for the introduction of Pride-style gloves for years. Citing the superiority of PRIDE FC gloves as a result of eye pokes being rare in the UFC, the veteran UFC commentator said on X, “The pride gloves are curved, which encourages a closed fist. There were far less eye pokes in Pride,”, back in 2016.

We’re close to a decade away from Joe Rogan‘s statement. Still, the designs haven’t largely changed, and the problem of eye pokes remains. Furthermore, the demand for a change in glove design isn’t something new, which has people wondering why Dana White and the UFC execs haven’t doubled down on fixing the issue by revamping its current glove design.

Whether Dana White heeds these calls for a glove design revamp or not, innovations continue to happen in the field of MMA glove design. A prominent MMA coach, with some marqueé UFC champions under his wing, came up with his own design, which he showcased on The Joe Rogan Experience. The gloves seem to solve the issue of eye pokes and seem functional from an ergonomic perspective. So that leaves us with the next important question.

Will Dana White consider the gloves designed by Trevor Wittman?

Veteran coach Trevor Wittman has gained fame for training UFC stars like Justin Gaethje, former women’s champion Rose Namajunas, and former welterweight champion Kamaru Usman. Unbeknownst to some, he is the founder of a company that makes combat sports equipment, and one of his products has been deemed revolutionary for mixed martial arts.

A few years ago, Trevor Wittman introduced the ONX gloves, also known as the X-factor gloves, which feature several major design differences from those of the UFC. These differences reduce the chance of eye pokes while ensuring effectiveness during grappling. Also, these gloves have been said to lower the risk of fighters succumbing to wrist injuries, and are also designed in a way that a curve a fighter’s fingers inwards.

“This allows your hands to stay in a natural fist-locked position… curved right away. If you see the strapping system in there, so that you don’t get that boxing break in your hands, it keeps everything, all the muscles, ligaments, and bone in place. So in that way, when you’re punching, everything is in form,” former UFC champion Rashad Evans once said about Wittman’s glove design.

Wittman had a pair of the X-factor gloves sent to Joe Rogan, who was blown away by the design. In gratitude, Rogan posted the following on his socials, “Thank you to the great Trevor Whittman… for the dope custom gloves! Without a doubt, the best-designed and constructed gloves I’ve ever used! Trevor has gone above and beyond creating the best gear humanly possible, and the quality is undeniable!”

Reports claim that Dana White and Co. wanted to own the patent for Wittman’s glove design, but the veteran coach wasn’t in favor of that idea. Of course, this speaks to the larger issue of the UFC having to deal with someone’s intellectual property, while also having to provide adequate recompense to the founder of the glove design.

Would the UFC head honcho oblige the spat of negotiations that would follow? Likely not, but at least we can rest knowing that the UFC and White have considered Wittman’s designs, even if it’s a thing of the past. This only means that the world’s premier MMA promotion is aware of the flaws in its current glove design. Whether they do something about it, now or later, is just a matter of waiting. What do you think?