UFC in talks with Trevor Wittman over glove design again

The UFC has restarted talks with coach Trevor Wittman about using his glove design, Wittman told Joe Rogan's podcast. Hunter Campbell contacted him roughly four weeks ago, Wittman said, looking to revive negotiations that collapsed years earlier.

Wittman's gloves feature a curved shape that holds the fingers in a more natural fist position, cutting down on eye pokes. Fighters who have tried them routinely praise the design. Rogan tested one on air and called it "so superior" to what the UFC currently uses, adding "the fact that this isn't being used by the UFC right now is f*cking criminal."

What killed the original deal between UFC and Wittman

Wittman said he consulted with the promotion when it rolled out new gloves in 2024, signing an NDA and initially agreeing to a five-year term that the UFC shortened to two. "They did the right thing and tried to make what we spoke about," Wittman said, per MMA Fighting. "They moved it to a two-year. Took a lot of great notes and I'm grateful to be a part of those. But they just couldn't do it to the level that I could do it." The promotion pulled those gloves less than a year later after fighters complained about fit and a sharp drop in knockouts.

UFC president Dana White, speaking at the UFC Vegas 119 post-fight presser, confirmed the talks are on again but pushed back on Wittman's optimism. White said he told his finance team years ago to close a deal at any cost after former fighter Rashad Evans brought him the product. "They wanted like $100 million for the glove," White said. "How many f*cking gloves do you have to sell to make $100 million? It's impossible. So the deal never happened."

Wittman said he has handed the business side to a team better equipped to negotiate. "I stepped away from the business part. I'm the visionary now," he said. "I take full responsibility that I didn't know that you could do deals all these different ways." White closed with a measured stance: "That deal should have been done a few years ago. I wanted to do that for Rashad. So, we'll see."

Original reporting:

• mmafighting.com — Trevor Wittman reveals UFC reached out about potentially using his glove design; Dana White responds | MMA Fighting