UFC renews push for Trevor Wittman’s anti-eye-poke gloves

The UFC is coming back to the table on a glove fix that could finally end the sport’s plague of eye pokes. After Tom Aspinall’s title defense last October was stopped when he took multiple fingers to the eyes, the promotion is quietly restarting conversations with the one man Joe Rogan has been yelling about for years.

Trevor Wittman, the decorated cornerman who designs his own fight gloves, told Rogan on a recent episode of his podcast that Hunter Campbell, the UFC’s chief business officer, reached out to him about four weeks ago. ‘He said he wanted to ignite the conversation again,’ Wittman said. ‘So we’ll see where that goes.’

What makes Wittman’s gloves different

Wittman’s gloves fix the fundamental flaw in the UFC’s current design. Instead of the traditional open-palm shape that leaves fingers extended and ready to jab an opponent’s retina, his gloves are curved. That curvature forces the hand to stay naturally clenched, turning a fighter’s hand into a fist before they even throw a punch. It’s a small mechanical change, but it changes everything about how fingers interact with faces.

The UFC has worked with Wittman before and even pulled some of his ideas into earlier glove models. But according to Wittman, they never fully committed to his design. ‘They couldn’t do it to the level that I can do it,’ he said. When he brought a pair to Rogan’s studio and helped the commentator lace them up, Rogan’s reaction was immediate and blunt.

The fighter’s verdict

‘This is so superior to the UFC gloves. I mean the fact that this isn’t being used by the UFC right now is fucking criminal,’ Rogan said. He also noted that the gloves fit so snugly that hand wraps aren’t even necessary. Rogan has been the loudest voice in the room on this issue for years, using his massive platform to argue that the gloves themselves are the real culprit behind the eye-poke epidemic.

• Tom Aspinall’s heavyweight title defense last October was stopped after repeated eye pokes from his opponent, prompting renewed scrutiny of the UFC’s glove design.
• The UFC introduced a new glove model in 2024 but later reverted to the old version without fixing the finger-extension problem.
• Trevor Wittman’s curved gloves keep the hand in a natural fist shape, dramatically reducing the risk of accidental eye pokes.
• Hunter Campbell, the UFC’s chief business officer, contacted Wittman three to four weeks ago to restart glove talks, according to Wittman himself.

What happens next for the UFC’s glove issue

This isn’t the first time the UFC has circled Wittman’s design. They’ve flirted with it before, taken elements of it, and then walked away. The difference now is the injury toll. Aspinall’s situation was a public, high-profile example of what happens when the current gloves fail. The heavyweight champion couldn’t continue. The belt was on the line, and the fight ended because of a piece of equipment. That kind of visibility makes it hard for the promotion to keep punting the problem.

The real question is whether the UFC will accept Wittman’s full design this time or try to reverse-engineer a cheaper version. Wittman’s model is more expensive to produce, requires tighter quality control, and doesn’t offer the same bulk ordering margins as the standard glove. If the UFC is serious about stopping eye pokes, they need to stop cherry-picking features and adopt the complete system. Rogan has been screaming at them through a megaphone for years. Now Campbell’s phone call says maybe they’re finally listening.

Wittman sounded cautiously optimistic on the podcast, but he also knows the UFC’s track record. They’ve taken his ideas before and watered them down. This time, with Campbell personally reaching out, the conversation is happening at a higher level. The promotion has the blueprint. They just have to decide if they want to build the house.