At the start of season ten of Bellator MMA in February, the organization introduced a new glove called the “Powerlock” and the glove promotes proper hand form and technique.
The gloves debuted at Bellator 110 and through the first nine events of the season, there have not been any broken hands according to a press release issued by Bellator on Wednesday.
During 2013, season eight had eleven events using the old glove design, and included eight broken hands during the season. In season nine also featured eleven events and saw seven fighters suffer breaks.
“When this process began, we worked hand in hand with our partners at Everlast to create a completely unique MMA glove that could reduce hand injuries and enhance fighter safety,” Bellator Chairman & CEO Bjorn Rebney said. “We went through numerous iterations of the glove during a design process that was headed by Dean Lassiter from our Operations team collaborating with the team at Everlast. And, we worked closely with our fighters to get their input on what they wanted to see and feel from a new design as well. This was a focused, collaborative process and the end results speak for themselves.”
“As our sport continues developing, fighters have become bigger, faster and stronger while delivering strikes with more velocity and power. Broken hands take fighters out of the sport for months and sometimes years. It’s incumbent on us to put fighters in the best possible position to eliminate those injuries where possible. This new design has revolutionized fighter hand protection and safety. And, I will keep working with our team and partners to find additional sports technology advancements that can help our fighters.”
Rebney recently joked that these gloves were made for welterweight champion Douglas Lima, who broke his hand twice during 2013. Lima used the new gloves last month at Bellator 117 and love the new design.
“I guess I hit too hard, because I’ve broken my right hand three times, and I didn’t think it was ever going to end,” Lima said. “When I put on these new gloves for my recent title fight, I already felt better. I could tell it was going to add more protection and felt like it was designed just for me. It put me more at ease, and I walked out of that fight with the belt around my waist and my hands felt great. The Bellator team did a great job with these new gloves, and I’m so happy I get to keep wearing them every time I walk into the cage.”
During Rebney’s post fight scrum following last week’s Bellator 118, he told TheMMAReport.com and other media outlets in attendance that he would be willing to share the technology of the glove to any MMA organization, even the UFC.
“I would be willing to share these gloves and this technology with anybody,” Rebney said. “Any small organization, the UFC, anybody who wants this technology. “They should have it because it has absolutely changed the dynamic of guys breaking their hands in our organization.”