Cesar Almeida’s Response to New Gloves at UFC 302: ‘Not Much of a Difference’

UFC debuts new gloves on Saturday in New Jersey, but Brazilian middleweight Cesar Almeida had a head start compared to other UFC 302 competitors.

Almeida, who faces Roman Kopylov on the preliminary portion of Saturday’s pay-per-view event in Newark, N.J., was one of the fighters to wear the new UFC gloves as part of a test on the promotion’s Contender Series in 2023. The new gloves were officially announced in April 2024, but were discreetly tested by fighters on last year’s shows at the UFC APEX.

“I’m used to them already,” Almeida told MMA Fighting. All fighters competing at UFC 302 received new gloves to wear in camp for the event. “We used them in training, even did the wraps with the cutman at the UFC PI, but it didn’t change much. Maybe it’s a bit lighter, some veterans complained about it. But, to me, it’s the same thing.”

Almeida won a decision over Lucas Fernando on Contender Series wearing the new gloves but switched back to the classic UFC gloves for his octagon debut in April 2024, knocking out Dylan Budka. Almeida now returns to wearing the new gloves at UFC 302.

The Brazilian striker, known for his kickboxing wins over the likes of Alex Pereira and ex-GLORY contender Serkan Ozcaglayan, is hunting for his second UFC win after pocketing a performance bonus in his April debut for the second-round stoppage of Budka.

Kopylov has never been knocked out before in MMA, but Almeida is confident in his abilities. “A win [by knockout] will put me up there already, but we’re preparing to fight three rounds,” Almeida said. “I’m training to end it early, but my head is prepared to go three rounds if I have to.”

Almeida is ready to showcase his striking skills in the octagon and believes that fans are eager to see him in action. “It’s going to be a kickboxing match with small gloves, and that’s what people want to see,” he said.