UFC makes permanent switch to old gloves after 'complaints'

What's old is new again.

The UFC is ditching the new glove style introduced earlier this year and going back to the old design for good, CEO Dana White said Thursday.

It was reported earlier this week that fighters would wear the old gloves at Saturday's UFC 309 event in New York, though it wasn't clear if the change was permanent.

White said he made the call to go back to the previous style because "there were a lot of complaints" about the new gloves.

"We originally created these gloves to stop eye pokes," White said at the UFC 309 prefight press conference. "We had good intentions with them. They didn't work out. People weren't happy with them. I actually made the decision. Called our chief operating officer, Lawrence (Epstein), and said, 'I'm switching the gloves. I want the old gloves back.'"

UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones, who headlines this weekend's Madison Square Garden card against Stipe Miocic, said Wednesday it was "a big relief" to be able to wear the old gloves.

"I'm really excited about the old gloves," Jones said. "I got sent a pair of the new gloves several weeks ago. I tried them on and I thought they were tight. They were very uncomfortable for me."

The UFC unveiled the new gloves in April - aiming to reduce cuts and abrasions, eye pokes, and hand injuries - and began using them at events in June. Some media members speculated the new gloves led to a decrease in knockouts.