Joe Rogan’s Proposed Fix for Eye Pokes Gains Attention Again After UFC 321 Main Event Controversy

During JRE MMA Show #163 with Din Thomas, Rogan explained, “ I keep saying it, but I feel they should cover those fingertips. You’ve got to cover the fingers. There’s no reason to not cover the fingers like a bad glove.”

He added, “Just have a piece of leather that goes over the fingertips, so you have one thing. It’s not gonna invade your grappling, and it’s not gonna change your striking. It’s not going to change anything.”

Rogan explained that this design would greatly reduce the risk of severe eye injuries. If a fighter were to get poked, the glove’s rounded or blunt surface would make contact instead of a bare finger, causing a less dangerous, surface-level impact.

He elaborated, “This way, at least if you get poked in the eye, you are getting a blunt thing, you are not getting something that goes into your eyeball.”

Rogan concluded with, “Have them all covered and have a soft-foamed ridge over the top of it. So even if you are getting poked in the eyes, you are not getting an individual thing going deep into your eyeball with an eyeball, which is what you get now. You get f***ing fingernails!”

He further added that a soft, foam-padded ridge across the top would reduce the likelihood of serious damage, as the padding and not the fingers would absorb the contact. Rogan emphasized that the current glove design often leads to dangerous situations where fighters accidentally jab their opponents in the eyes with their fingers or even their nails.

UFC’s Failure to Implement Trevor Whitman’s ONX Glove Design

For the unversed, the UFC had already introduced new gloves in April 2024 to help reduce eye pokes. But by UFC Vegas 102, the promotion reverted to the old design. Rogan had previously suggested adopting coach Trevor Whitman’s ONX gloves, which many believe to be a safer and more effective alternative. 

However, Dana White and his team were unable to reach a deal with Whitman to bring them into the promotion. This problem has been seen repeatedly over the years– from Belal Muhammad’s gruesome injury against Leon Edwards in 2021 to Travis Browne’s infamous eye poke on Fabricio Werdum at UFC 203. 

And now in 2025, it was the first instance when a UFC title fight ended in a no-contest, with Aspinall being on the wrong end of proceedings. While Dana White has not commented on any design change, a revamp is the need of the hour.