UFC reveals custom Freedom 250 gloves, fans call them 'lame'

The UFC has unveiled special gloves for its White House event next weekend, and fight fans are not impressed.

Fighters competing at UFC Freedom 250 on June 14 will wear custom red-white-and-blue gloves during their bouts on the South Lawn in Washington, D.C., MMA Mania reports. The commemorative design marks the card celebrating America's 250th anniversary, headlined by lightweight champion Ilia Topuria defending against interim titleholder Justin Gaethje in a unification bout streamed on Paramount Plus.

Fan backlash targets glove aesthetics over function

Social media response skewed heavily negative, with multiple fans questioning the promotion's priorities. "Instead of making custom gloves, the UFC should be looking into ways to improve their gloves so that there are less eye pokes," one user wrote, according to the report. "Fans would much rather important fights don't get stopped because of eye pokes rather than seeing fighters wearing red gloves." Another simply called the design "lame as hell."

The backlash comes after a rocky stretch for UFC glove changes. The company introduced a redesigned model in 2023 meant to reduce eye pokes, only to scrap it less than twelve months later following fighter complaints. Lightweight contender Diego Lopes was filmed trying on the Freedom 250 version during fight-week check-ins ahead of his opener against Steve Garcia.

Replica blue versions of the gloves are available for purchase at $49.99. The South Lawn card also features Alex Pereira attempting to capture a third title in a third weight class when he faces former heavyweight title challenger Ciryl Gane in the co-main event.

Reported via:

• MMA Mania — Pic: UFC introduces new gloves (again) for Freedom 250, annoyed fight fans react – ‘Lame as hell’