New glove era - still much less KOs

[Dr Fong]

Another card, another single TKO/KO win. It doesn't seem to make much sense that small MMA gloves could have a big impact on the number of KOs/TKOs - yet there's no other obvious explanation for a significant decline. What say you: statistical anomaly or are the gloves actually shit?

Here's the KO/TKO percentages in previous years:

2021: 33%
2022: 33%
2023: 31%

And here's the percentage of TKOs/KOs I arrived at since the introduction of the new gloves:

22%

(somebody should double check the numbers if they are unemployed and bored enough though)

That's a big difference. Going from 1/3 fights to barely above 1/5 is significant. And this is from 160+ fights - a sample size that is starting to become hard to dismiss. We still need to wait longer for any conclusive judgements but a trend is there.

I also think that the new glove percentage is being slightly inflated rather than deflated by a higher number of non-head punch KOs, if someone thinks that is an issue. But I haven't crunched the numbers for that, I just noticed a lot of them.

*Edit* - in the events that occurred after this thread was made until they scrapped the new gloves, there was a KO/TKO percentage of 25.5%, so a slight increase. But when added to the total we are still probably looking at percentage of around 23% overall for the new gloves. Clearly the UFC had seen enough.

 

[BEATDOWNS]

Dana said the move back to the old gloves will be permanent but will still have to use the new gloves for a few fight nights because they ran out of stock of the old gloves. So once they are stocked back up on the old gloves it will be KO city baby (as per UFC 309 post fight presser)

 

[markys00]

Still a very low sample size. But honestly, what's more important is having less eye pokes and the trend isn't looking all that great for it either

 

[El Panteron]

Didn't they use the old ones in this card?

 

[usernamee]

Didn't they use the old ones in this card?

They did. Also TS only counted the main card for some reason anyways. There were at least two brutal KOs on the prelims.

 

[Dimbis]

They did. Also TS only counted the main card for some reason anyways. There were at least two brutal KOs on the prelims.

I’m showing that the post is from Sep 2024.

 

[usernamee]

I’m showing that the post is from Sep 2024.

lol first poster here managed to dig up a thread with no answers in, I'm impressed

 

[BEATDOWNS]

lol first poster here managed to dig up a thread with no answers in, I'm impressed

I wanted to make an update on why the new gloves will still be used as it may confuse some people. So I found something similar it's not that old of a thread and didn't think it warranted a new thread. They need to stock back up on the old gloves before the new gloves are completely gone, ok buddy?

 

[Get To Da Choppa]

Another card, another single TKO/KO win. It doesn't seem to make much sense that small MMA gloves could have a big impact on the number of KOs/TKOs - yet there's no other obvious explanation for a significant decline. What say you: statistical anomaly or are the gloves actually shit?

Here's the KO/TKO percentages in previous years:

2021: 33%
2022: 33%
2023: 31%

And here's the percentage of TKOs/KOs I arrived at since the introduction of the new gloves:

22%

(somebody should double check the numbers if they are unemployed and bored enough though)

That's a big difference. Going from 1/3 fights to barely above 1/5 is significant. And this is from 160+ fights - a sample size that is starting to become hard to dismiss. We still need to wait longer for any conclusive judgements but a trend is there.

I also think that the new glove percentage is being slightly inflated rather than deflated by a higher number of non-head punch KOs, if someone thinks that is an issue. But I haven't crunched the numbers for that, I just noticed a lot of them.

A good way to resolve this low KO rate is to have the slap fighting guys train the UFC fighters to block punches with their faces

 

[Kowboy On Sherdog]

 

[Dr Fong]

lol first poster here managed to dig up a thread with no answers in, I'm impressed

My initial thread dropped like a lead balloon. Surprised somebody brought it back from the dead.

 

[Dr Fong]

Still a very low sample size. But honestly, what's more important is having less eye pokes and the trend isn't looking all that great for it either

It's not a 'very low' sample size though.

Somebody would have to do the numbers post-September when I made this thread, but clearly the sample was big enough for a multi-billion dollar company to make a decision. And do something it really ever does, which is admit they fucked something up.

But yes, the solution to the problem should not have been to revert back to old eye poke problem. They just need better gloves.

 

[Domitian]

It's not a 'very low' sample size though.

Somebody would have to do the numbers post-September when I made this thread, but clearly the sample was big enough for a multi-billion dollar company to make a decision. And do something it really ever does, which is admit they fucked something up.

But yes, the solution to the problem should not have been to revert back to old eye poke problem. They just need better gloves.

160 is not a whole lot with as many variables that mma contains. Division, sex, the fighters strengths and weaknesses themselves, etc etc

A sample size of roughly triple that would give me more confidence in the numbers. But all that said, UFC is making the change so that's pretty moot at this point.

 

[Dr Fong]

160 is not a whole lot with as many variables that mma contains. Division, sex, the fighters strengths and weaknesses themselves, etc etc

A sample size of roughly triple that would give me more confidence in the numbers. But all that said, UFC is making the change so that's pretty moot at this point.

About 250 fights when they made their decision. I have updated the OP to include the percentage from the lower sample of the 86 fights that happened since. It was 25.5%, so slightly higher, but still consistent with the trend of the new gloves having a negative impact.

250 fights is a decent sample. The UFC agrees.