Sean Strickland, one of the more outspoken fighters on the UFC roster, has made his feelings known about the new UFC gloves.
The new mitts are set for their debut at this weekend’s UFC 302 event in Newark, New Jersey amid complaints from some athletes that the gloves — which were designed, in part at least, to reduce accidental eye pokes — could possibly increase the risk of cuts.
And Strickland, who fights Paulo Costa, late on Saturday night, made his feelings on the subject clear in Wednesday’s pre-fight media day.
“They suck,” Strickland told reporters, including The Mac Life, of the new gloves. “Can we talk to the person who designed these gloves? Have you ever been in a fight in your f*cking life? It’s like you get these f*cking dorks that have no idea. Like, this sounds like a good idea and they make it. Same thing with motorcycles. I’ve bought motorcycles and they put so much stupid sh*t on it. How did you assholes think this was a good idea?
“So no, they absolutely suck,” he added. “You dropped the ball on that one.”
The former middleweight champion also explained his belief that issues of eye pokes and cuts are down to actions that take place in the cage, and cannot be adequately addressed by changes to fighter equipment.
“If you get cut because you get hit in the f*cking head, don’t get hit in the f*cking head, you don’t get cut,” he said. “You get poked in the eyes because you f*cking opened opened your hand, so don’t open your hands and you won’t get poked in the eye.
“That’s people creating problems that aren’t there.”
