Islam Makhachev is confident he will be able to defend the belt and hopes to display it alongside his new gold gloves.
🎥: Sports 24 (YT) pic.twitter.com/Su3xvtaGoq
— Red Corner MMA (@RedCorner_MMA)
May 25, 2024
Order now! UFC 302: Makhachev vs. Poirier, Saturday at 10pm ET on ESPN+
Islam Makhachev (25-1) has mixed reviews of the new Ultimate Fighting Championship gloves.
The new gloves are scheduled to debut at UFC 302 on June 1 at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, where Makhachev will defend the lightweight title against Dustin Poirier (30-8). After trying out the new gloves, Makhachev felt they were stiffer than his previous gloves and restricted his ability to extend his fingers. The gloves were redesigned to prevent tears, but Makhachev believes the stiffness could actually increase the number of cuts.
” [new gloves] “They’re a lot harder. Like I said before, my previous UFC gloves were softer, so you get more cuts,” the Dagestan told Sport 24 in a recent interview. “These are harder. You can’t open your hand all the way because they stop your fingers from extending straight forward. But overall it’s pretty much the same. I’m going to display them next to my belt as the first UFC golden gloves, which I think means a lot.”
Poirier, on the other hand, feels that his new gloves are softer and lighter than his old ones, and he likes them better because he says they provide an easier grip, whereas his fingers remained naturally extended in the old gloves.
Makhachev is currently on a 12-fight winning streak, tying the longest in the history of the weight class. The lightweight champion scored a head kick knockout in a rematch against Alexander Volkanovski in his final title defense at UFC 294 in October 2023.
Poirier, meanwhile, earned his third career gold medal in interesting circumstances. Arman Tsarukyan was offered the challenge after his win over Charles Oliveira at UFC 300 last month. “Akhalkalakec” turned it down, saying he was moving too soon. With Makhachev adamant about fighting in the summer, UFC called on “The Diamond,” who was fresh off a second-round knockout win over French star Benoit Saint-Denis.
Order now! UFC 302: Makhachev vs. Poirier, Saturday at 10pm ET on ESPN+
