Khalil Rountree knows why the new UFC gloves didn’t last—and the answer might not be what you think.
When the UFC debuted an updated glove design in April 2024, the initial reaction was mixed, with fighters questioning how the gear might affect performance and whether it could potentially reduce eye pokes. Less than a year later, the design was abandoned in favor of the older model, leading to further speculation as to the reasoning.
Were they uncomfortable? Did they make it more difficult for fighters to score knockouts? Was it just to appease an unhappy Jon Jones?
During an interview on the The Joe Rogan Experience, Rountree—who was involved in developing and testing the new gloves—revealed the real reason for the recall.
“The main thing was that because of the leather, the logos weren’t sticking,” Rountree said. “So the logos were peeling off, peeling off, peeling off. I’m telling you, we tried hundreds of different ways to get the UFC logo printed on the gloves so that they will not come off in the octagon. From me testing it on the canvas, doing live situations, sparring, rubbing it in the cage, blah blah, it just would not [stay on].”
When the new design was first announced, it was presented as having the potential to reduce hand injuries and allow for improved hand dexterity. Fans blamed the gloves on reducing the amount of knockouts during their duration of usage, but due to the relatively small size, data is inconclusive as to whether the equipment was truly at fault.
Rountree competed once in the new gloves, donning the gold variant as he challenged champion Alex Pereira for the light heavyweight title at UFC 307. Neither man’s punching power seemed to suffer from the design as they battered each other for the better part of four rounds before Pereira found a finish heading into Round 5.
According to Rountree, the issue had more to do with manufacturing material than manufacturing knockouts.
“Because with everything in the world, but especially in the industry of leather and suede and all that stuff, if I had a pair of leather shoes from 1970 it’s going to be different than the leather that’s made today,” Rountree said. “You get what I mean? It’s a different type of leather. It’s just not the same. It was a little softer, but it’s treated differently while it’s being processed or whatever that whole process looks like, it’s just there’s some type of chemical or something that’s just different.”
Rountree added that there were safety concerns surrounding the new gloves, but not necessarily related to bruises or broken bones. It was actually the finicky that was the main source of their problems.
“It has nothing to do with the knockouts,” Rountree said. “It’s that every time when the fighters come to return a pair of gloves or whatever or even in the fight, it’s peeling off or chipping off and that’s a hazard if it gets in your eye. It’s more about the safety of the fighters, not like, ‘We need more knockouts, change the gloves.’
“It’s more that the logo wasn’t adhering and it doesn’t look professional to have these guys fighting a championship fight and then here’s this guy raising his hand and there’s no UFC logo on the glove. It all gets worn off.”
