UFC cutman makes Air Force reference after Justin Gaethje fights with UFC logo-less gloves at UFC 313

At UFC 313, Justin Gaethje sported gloves that were missing the UFC branding, sparking a debate in the MMA community, though he later explained the reason behind it. The ordeal garnered a reaction from UFC cutman Brad Tate.

Gaethje squared off against Rafael Fiziev at UFC 313 this past Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. The bout delivered an action-packed back-and-forth affair, with ‘The Highlight’ securing a unanimous decision victory.

However, viewers noticed the absence of the UFC logo on the American’s gloves. During the live broadcast, UFC commentator Jon Anik explained that the logos had rubbed off while Gaethje was warming up in the locker room.

In the post-event presser, Gaethje addressed the controversy and emphasized that the UFC wanted to ensure that flakes from the logos didn’t get into his opponent’s eyes. As a result, they made him remove them completely.

ESPN MMA shared Gaethje’s explanation on Instagram, along with a clip from his bout. His all-black gloves caught the attention of Brad Tate, who liked them and drew a comparison to all-black Air Force 1 sneakers. In another comment, he praised the gloves, writing:

“All Black Gloves = to black Air Force.”

“Them all black ufc 313 gloves are 🔥.”

Check out the screenshot of Brad Tate’s comments below:

Brad Tate’s comments. [Screenshots courtesy: @that_damn_tate on Instagram]

---

Justin Gaethje highlights comfort issues with UFC gloves

Several MMA fighters have stated that the UFC gloves aren't all that comfortable and Justin Gaethje is one among them. Back in March last year, Gaethje shared his disappointment with UFC gloves and urged the promotion to introduce better ones. Later, in another post on X responding to a fan, the former interim lightweight champion elaborated on the issues he had with the gloves.

He emphasized that the gloves put fighters in a bad position and affect blood circulation, writing:

“Doesn’t have to be our gloves just needs to be better gloves. These gloves force you into a bad position when your hand is relaxed. They cut the circulation off to the fingers. They put so much pressure on the hand between the fingers.”

Check out the screenshot of Justin Gaethje's X posts below:

Justin Gaethje's X posts. [Screenshot courtesy: @Justin_Gaethje on X]

UFC introduced new gloves at UFC 302 to help limit eye pokes. However, they reverted to the older ones at UFC 309.