The UFC is getting all scientific.
On Tuesday, the Nevada State Athletic Commission approved the use of new gloves for fighters competing on the UFC 219 fight card which will allow for more detailed analysis of bouts.
For years, real-time statistics of fights have received criticism due to certain vagueries when it came to what constituted a significant strike or a successful takedown.
Well now the world’s preeminent mixed martial arts organisation has taken a huge step in the right direction by deciding to incorporate sensors in their fighters’ gloves so that everything from power to tension can be measured in real time.
The technology comes from a UFC-funded collaboration between analytics company AGT International and consumer platform company HEED and while the NSAC acknowledged a concern for how the data might be distributed, they agreed to allow for a test run of the sensors at the UFC’s end-of-year card.
A sparring exhibition from top lightweights Edson Barboza and Marc Diakiese preceded a speech from HEED co-founder Mati Kochavi, who explained how 70 insights collated from sensors on the gloves, in the Octagon and on competitors’ cornermen could paint a clearer picture of fights.
“Those insights are covering entire aspects of the fight between Diakiese and Barboza,” Kochavi said, via MMA Junkie. “They cover their passion, the power of the fight, the resiliency, the strategy. All of those things happen in the octagon.
“Shouldn’t we tell the story of sport that way? Shouldn’t sport be told in real time, with real data, with real information, and with real insights, and the real emotions? We are a company which is trying to revolutionise the way we’re going to (broadcast) sports and live events.”
UFC 219 takes place on December 30 in Las Vegas and will be headlined by a UFC women’s featherweight title fight between Cristiane ‘Cyborg’ Justino and Holly Holm.
