UFC lightweight Matt Frevola has offered his view on Dana White’s decision to return to the old UFC gloves for UFC 309 and 310.
Ariel Helwani broke the news last Tuesday that the UFC would be returning to the old gloves ahead of the weekend’s big pay-per-view card at Madison Square Garden. This came as a surprise to most, with the new gloves only being in use since UFC 302, which took place in June.
The new design was introduced as a means of reducing eye pokes and protecting the hand. However, eye pokes remained prevalent and, as of late, there have been theories that the new gloves significantly reduced the knockout and knockdown rate across the majority of divisions.
During the UFC 309 broadcast, commentator Jon Anik clarified that the old gloves will also be in use for the final pay-per-view of the year, UFC 310. Although, UFC Macau and UFC Tampa, the final fight nights of the year, will see the fighters still using the new style of gloves. This seemingly will allow the UFC executives to assess both against each other and make a final decision going into 2025.
In an exclusive interview with Combat Sports UK’s Shady Beshai, Matt Frevola briefly discussed the decision. He was able to get his hands in the new gloves back in September when he faced Fares Ziam in Pars, France.
He said: “I liked the new gloves.
“They were a little bit lighter, the leather felt a little bit cheaper, but I didn’t break my hands the one time I fought in them, but I also didn’t land the shots I wanted to land.
“It’s a fight at the end of the day, it don’t matter what gloves you got.”
Frevola Maps Out the Timeline of His Return
The 34-year-old is currently on a two-fight losing streak, having being knocked out in both fights, and will be desperate to right the wrongs of a disappointing year inside the cage.
The New York-native spoke of the importance of having fun in training, as it allows him to evolve and improve.
He said: “I’m getting back to training, just doing jiu-jitsu, having fun, hitting pads – nothing too serious.
“I’m enjoying the holidays, enjoying the family, and just having fun with it. After every fight, it’s the next evolution, get back to training, having fun, and then we start getting better and rebuilding for whatever’s next.
“I don’t have eyes on nobody right now, all I got eyes on is my beer over there, I’m just kidding haha.
“I’m training and having fun right now, once New Year hits, we reassess, think about where we’re at and see what’s next.”
Matt Frevola Full Exclusive Interview
You can check out our full interview with ‘The Steamrolla’ below:
Please provide transcription credit with a link back to this article if you use any of these quotes.
Featured image credits to Embed from Getty Images
