Dustin Poirier explains why the new UFC gloves could cause "more cuts" despite being "more comfortable"
Dustin Poirier and Islam Makhachev will compete in the first championship bout featuring the UFC's new gold-colored glove design. The promotion recently announced that it had implemented a new design to help reduce eye-pokes, among other issues the gloves presented.
While the fighter reviews for the new design have been mostly positive, Poirier recently shared that he thinks they might cause more cuts than the previous glove design.
'The Diamond' is several days away from facing Makhachev for the lightweight title in the main event of UFC 302. At media day, he was asked to share his thoughts on the promotion's new glove, to which he replied:
"I think they're more comfortable. It's easier to make a fist. I do think there might be more cuts because the padding isn't as dense. I feel like the knuckles are gonna pierce through that padding that they have and cause more cuts, I think. But I like 'em better, they're more comfortable to make a fist in. The other gloves were really stiff and straight. Whatever foam they're using in these, it's really easy to make a fist."
Watch Dustin Poirier's interview below from 5:40:
Alexander Volkanovski predicts Islam Makhachev vs. Dustin Poirier
UFC 302 will see Dustin Poirier compete for the undisputed lightweight title for a third time, with many believing it to be his last shot to be crowned the 155-pound king after two prior failures.
Islam Makhachev will be eager to prove he can successfully defend his title against a perennial lightweight contender. The Dagestani currently has two title defenses on his record, but both have come against former featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski.
Ahead of this weekend's pay-per-view card, 'The Great' broke down the main event and said this:
"Islam's gonna be too good. I think he's too safe of a fighter to make mistakes where he's gonna get caught against someone like Dustin Poirier. [He's] a great fighter, I just think it's a hard fight for anybody. I don't see anyone beating Islam for a while, unless they catch him... The only way I see [him losing]. "
He continued:
"Southpaw vs. southpaw, here are some little problems for Islam, maybe. We know southpaw in training, in fighting, majority of the time you are fighting orthodox fighters. You are going to be a lot more comfortable fighting orthodox fighters."
Watch Alexander Volkanovski's preview below from 11:30: