UFC 287 seemingly to have new MMA gloves to prevent accidental eye pokes
After years of criticism, the UFC is seemingly using new gloves explicitly designed to mitigate the risk of accidental eye pokes for the upcoming UFC 287 pay-per-view.
Many of the promotion's fights have ended in no contests (NC) after fighters failed to recover from eye pokes, which are illegal in the sport.
In 2022, for example, the bantamweight matchup between Sean O'Malley and Pedro Munhoz ended prematurely after an accidental eye poke from 'Sugar' in the second round forced Munhoz to withdraw from the bout.
Also, in 2021, a welterweight bout between Leon Edwards and Belal Muhammad had to be stopped in the second round after an eye poke prevented 'Remember the Name' from continuing the fight.
A new episode of UFC Countdown features former welterweight title challenger Gilbert Burns trying out the new fight gear. Impressed by the unique design of the gloves, 'Durinho' said:
"I love it because people don't see, but it kind of makes your fingers go down, so less eye pokes. So I like it, see my hands are relaxed [and] it [the fingers go down] it doesn't stay [up] here. Way better for no eye poke. I like these new gloves."
Looks like the UFC will use new gloves on Saturday that try to prevent eye pokes, slightly bending the fingers downward. https://t.co/Mqap3tif3Z
Gilbert Bruns is set to face former two-time title challenger Jorge Masvidal in the co-main event for the pay-per-view. The Brazilian is coming into the fight off a first-round submission win over Neil Magny in January.
Burns is 21-5 as a professional mixed martial artist and sits at No. 5 on the welterweight ladder. Meanwhile, Masvidal is on a three-fight skid and hasn't won a fight in over three years. 'Gamebred' holds a record of 35-16 and is the No. 11-ranked contender.
Jorge Masvidal to retire if he loses at UFC 287
It looks like Jorge Masvidal will call it quits if he fails to get his hand raised against Gilbert Burns this coming weekend.
Although 'Gamebred' is still a notable name in the premier promotion, a series of losses in recent years have prompted the fighter to consider retirement. In a recent promotional segment for the upcoming pay-per-view, the Miami native said:
"This could be the last one. If I lose, I’m pretty much calling it quits. But a win against Gilbert means that things are headed in the right direction. So if I roll the dice and I do everything right, I’m going for it all. For one title, or many titles."
Catch Jorge Masvidal's comments below:
UFC 287 will take place at the Miami-Dade Arena on April 8. The highly anticipated middleweight title rematch between Israel Adesanya and Alex Pereira is headlining the pay-per-view.