So the format has changed, but Musing is back. Instead of three rounds it will be one central thought that you could digest with a nice cup of coffee. Enjoy, comment, share and discuss.
You have probably heard Joe Rogan on UFC telecasts go off when a fighter gets his eyes poked by his opponent. Eye pokes have become a rather common occurrence and it’s always followed by Rogan going on and on about how the UFC should change up the style of gloves they use. UFC Hall of Famer Matt Hughes who is now UFC Vice President of Athletic Development and Government Relations, recently went on record and said the following, “I don’t see how you can blame it on the gloves,” said Hughes. “It comes down to the fighters making mistakes with their hands.”
You have to love Hughes farm boy, simplistic way of thinking. The issue is that there seems to be a lot of fighters making mistakes with their hands, so why wouldn’t the UFC want to protect their assets (fighters) from serious injury? All you have to do is look at what happened at UFC 159 and Alan Belcher’s career to know how devastating eye pokes can be to a PPV card and one’s career.
I suppose the answer isn’t that easy to come by. I always wondered what kind of glove one could use that would stop eye pokes from happening but also allow a fighter to grapple properly. Many have suggested the old PRIDE FC gloves. Although I don’t know if it is the answer, it is a start in the right direction. Have a look at the picture.
The fingers were rounded with all four fingers being connected with a loose thumb. There never seemed to be a problem for PRIDE fighters to grab onto their opponent’s limbs to slap on submissions.
Every sport evolves and even boxing had to change the style of their gloves. In the 1970’s and 80’s boxing used an Everlast glove that had a thumb piece that looked like a lobster claw. That thumb piece struck many boxers in the eyes and eventually the sport had to change over to the current style of glove they are using now.
The PRIDE gloves might not be the long term solution, but maybe it’s time to change over until something better comes along. Although Rogan feels that there is something that “science” could create that would be a better alternative to what the UFC is currently using, maybe the answer has always been right in front of our eyes.
What do you think? What are your solutions?
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You can listen to Trevor on MMASucka Radio heard weekly on MMASucka.com. Follow him on Twitter @tdueckMMA
