JERSEY CITY, NJ – Well, it turns out Sean Strickland is not a fan of the new UFC gloves.
The former UFC middleweight champion, who returns this Saturday against Paulo Costa in the co-main event of UFC 302, criticized the new design of the official UFC gloves for what he said were substandard quality. Strickland (28-6 MMA, 15-6 UFC) heavily favors the former design and let the world know as much on Wednesday during UFC 302 media day.
“Yeah, they suck,” Strickland said passionately. “I don’t know who. Can we talk to the person who designed these gloves? Have you ever had a fight in your damn life?
“It’s like you get these damn losers who have no idea, and they say, ‘Oh, this sounds like a good idea,’ and they make it. … How did you think this was a good idea? They are absolutely evil. UFC dropped the ball on that.”
Saturday’s event will be the first time the new glove design will be used. The promotion revamped the old design to address many complaints that the old gloves allowed for eye pokes, which is clearly illegal in MMA.
Strickland doesn’t think the gloves were the problem and instead puts the blame on the fighters.
“What was the reasoning? They wanted to make people stop stabbing people in the eyes? Well, they’re a little more choked up,” Strickland said. “And dude, at the end of the day, people get stabbed in the fucking eye for opening their fucking hands. Unless you put on a boxing glove, that won’t stop.
“It’s just people creating a problem that we didn’t have. If you get cut because you get hit in the damn head, don’t get hit in the damn head, you don’t get cut. You get poked in the eye for opening your fucking hands. Don’t open your hands, you won’t get poked in the eyes. It’s just people creating problems that don’t exist.”
For more information on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s events hub for UFC 302.
The story originally appeared on MMA Junkie
