There’s an old saying that everything old becomes new again, and apparently that also holds true for MMA gloves.

Ahead of this Saturday’s UFC 309, the promotion informed fighters that they will be using the old version of UFC gloves, rather than the new style implemented across events on June 1. Multiple people with knowledge of the situation confirmed the change, though no reason was given. Ariel Helwani was first to report the news.

The newer gloves were designed in an attempt to reduce eye pokes and hand injuries and featured less rigidity than the previous version, along with updates to the seams, padding, wristband, and finger holes. They debuted at UFC 302 in New Jersey and have since become a source of controversy with some fighters speaking out against them.

Fans have also suggested the new gloves may lead to fewer knockouts after an apparent drop in the knockout rate from the beginning of the year compared to after the new glove implementation. However at this point that’s purely speculative and could be explained away by a small sample size.

UFC 309 is headlined by a heavyweight title fight between Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic and takes place this Saturday at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

Guilherme Cruz contributed to this report.

Members of Canada women’s coaching staff “objected” to requests to fly drones over opposition training sessions in the two years before the scandal which engulfed the team at Paris 2024.

An independent external investigation into the illegal use of drones, commissioned by Canada Soccer, found that one coach raised concerns “several times” between 2022 and 2024.

Two of Canada’s coaching staff were sent home during the Olympic Games for flying a drone over a training session held by New Zealand, their opponents in a group game, while national team coach Beverly Priestman was removed from her duties.

Priestman was suspended by Canada Soccer shortly after the incident and the governing body said on Tuesday the 38-year-old Englishwoman will not return to the role.

“The search for a new head coach for the women’s national team will commence shortly,” it said in a statement.

The names of those who raised the objections have been redacted from the transcripts released as part of the findings, to comply with privacy laws and with confidentiality commitments.

The report concluded the drone footage was not viewed by any of Canada women’s national team players.

Two of the women’s national team coaches “directed acts of improper surveillance predating the 2024 Paris Olympics”, but “no evidence was found” that it took place at the rescheduled Tokyo 2020 Games where Canada won gold.

The investigation, conducted by Sonia Regenbogen of law firm Mathews, Dinsdale & Clark, has prompted Canada Soccer to promise operational and structural changes.

These include contractually mandated reporting of unethical behaviour and new software to facilitate confidential reporting, plus education regarding Canada Soccer’s code of conduct and ethics.

Canada Soccer chief executive Kevin Blue said: “The findings of the independent investigator reveal that the drone incident in Paris was a symptom of a past pattern of an unacceptable culture and insufficient oversight within the national teams.

“We are working to change Canada Soccer into a federation that Canadians trust and are proud of, and one that is not defined by unfortunate actions of the past.”​

It’s out with the new and in with the old – at least for now.

Ahead of Saturday’s UFC 309 card at Madison Square Garden in New York, competing fighters and their teams were notified the old-style gloves will be used rather than the new-style ones that were implemented June 1.

Three people with knowledge of the situation told MMA Junkie teams were notified Tuesday, though reasoning for the decision to revert is unclear. Ariel Helwani was first to report the change.

The new-style gloves have been used by the promotion in every event since June 1. In the initial revelation of the glove design, the promotion touted better construction, fitting, and material. The motives for the changes included an attempt to prevent eye pokes and broken hands.

Since the implementation of the new-style gloves, fans and media members have questioned if the design has lead to a decrease in knockouts and TKOs.

According to data compiled by MMA Junkie’s Mike Bohn, the knockout rate from the start of 2021 to the mid-year change in 2024 was fairly consistent, hovering around the 31-34 percent range.

Since the implementation, however, the knockout rate has dropped to 22.9 percent. The decision rate has increased 11.5 percent.

Following UFC 303 on June 29, a card during which there were five TKOs/knockouts, UFC CEO Dana White was asked about the change in design and it’s potential contribution to a lack of stoppages and admitted he was unsure.

However, in an interview with TNT Sports ahead of UFC 308 in October, White seemed a little less eager to credit the correlation.

“Who the hell knows?,” White said. “Who can really gauge that? … I don’t think… I haven’t even thought about that. The fact anybody is even talking about that is actually kind of silly, that there would be less knockouts because of the gloves. I’ve seen plenty of knockouts since the new gloves.

At the time of publication, MMA Junkie has not received a response from the New York State Athletic Commission (NYSAC) to an inquiry checking if the glove changes were due to potential regulatory statutes. This story will be updated should comment be received.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 309.

There’s no denying how tough it is to win a UFC championship, but historically it might be even tougher to reclaim a UFC title after losing it.

Brandon Moreno, who held the UFC flyweight title just a year ago, is on a mission to regain what was once his after making his return earlier this month and dominating top contender Amir Albazi in the main event of UFC Fight Night 246. It was an impressive showing from Moreno (22-8-2 MMA, 10-5-2 UFC) that got his fans hopeful in his ability to compete at the championship level.

“The Assassin Baby” has set his sights again on UFC gold, and he’s confident he can once again rule the division.

“Right now I’m very focused on the title,” Moreno told MMA Junkie in Spanish. “I seriously think that I can become champion again, especially after the showing that I had (against Albazi), so I’m going to stay on that path.”

Moreno lost the UFC flyweight title in July 2023, coming up short in a split decision against Alexandre Pantoja at UFC 290. He then dropped another split decision to Brandon Royval in February before announcing a break from MMA competition that lasted eight months.

The 30-year-old is happy to be back in the win column, but he knows there’s work to be done before he can realistically get a crack at the title.

“Being very honest with myself, I think that sporting wise, Royval is likely the one who most deserves the opportunity,” Moreno said of the title picture at flyweight. “I have no problem saying that at all. He’s done a very good job, and in his last fight against Tatsura (Taira), he looked very good. It was a great fight. There’s also Kai (Kara France), but he’s in a very weird position because I do think he can deserve it, he did have an incredible knockout against (Steve) Erceg, but I think my performance was very good, and Royval is right there, too. I think Kai has the most awkward position.

“So for me, I think I need to do one more fight. And as far as names, there’s Tatsuro Taira, Manel Kape is there, as well. I don’t know what’s going to happen with Kai Asakura – if he loses (to Pantoja at UFC 310), that can be an option. So I’m just going to be ready for whatever comes next. I’m just going to keep healthy and stay ready.”

NEW YORK CITY — UFC lightweight contender and former Bellator champion Michael Chandler discusses his rematch with Charles Oliveira at UFC 309, their first fight at UFC 262, how he’ll approach this matchup differently, his place in the lightweight title picture, and his new tequila line with MMA Fighting’s Jose Youngs.