When it’s fight night, every UFC fighter is going to be wearing the same pair of gloves. The gloves are regulated, and this keeps everything fair. The fighters don’t show up with their own gloves, they’re given them at the arena. There have been instances in boxing where fighters would use loaded gloves, and that’s never a good thing. So, fighters don’t get to choose the MMA gloves that they’ll be wearing on the night of the fight, but they do get to choose the ones that they train in.
Choosing The Right Pair of MMA Gloves
For photo ops and social media posts, pro fighters will always be wearing the pair of gloves that their sponsors have sent them – but those aren’t always the same ones they’re using behind closed doors.
Pro fights typically have fighters equipped with 4 oz gloves, whereas amateur bouts may opt for 6oz for increased protection. The style of glove that we now know as “mma gloves” was first introducted in the Shooto promotion, before finding their way to the UFC.
In the early days of the UFC, however, it was kind of a free for all:
There are a lot of preferences when it comes to gloves and styles. For example, the current design of UFC gloves lend themselves to increased eye pokes, however people have argued that Bellator’s style of glove is safer, and that Pride’s gloves were also friendly to the opponent’s eyes. There are pros and cons with any style of gloves.
If you were to force the fingers to bend inwards a bit more, like you’re making a fist, then there would certainly be less eye pokes since the fighter’s fingers couldn’t be pointing straight outwards. However, on the flip side, the downside to that is that it has a huge impact on a fighter’s ability to grapple and it’s really unfair to the BJJ guys out there. Is there a right or wrong answer when it comes to glove design?
What About Not Using Gloves at All?
Joe Rogan has suggested simply getting rid of gloves and hand wraps altogether, but the downside to that is that you would see a huge increase in broken hands. The positive? You’d see a huge increase in kicks and knees, so the overall style of MMA would change up a lot. You’d also see a lot more wrestling and grappling if there were no gloves. It would completely change the sport. There’s a misconception that gloves exist to protect your opponent’s face from your hand, but on the contrary, the gloves are there to project the person throwing the punch from injuring their hands. It doesn’t take much to break a hand.
Here’s an interesting conversation on the topic:
Joe Rogan is a former fighter, and there aren’t a lot of people who know more about MMA than he does. He spends a lot of his time in gyms with pro fighters, talking to them at events, and he’s friends with countless legends of martial arts. He knows his stuff. He puts a lot of thought into it, too.
Former UFC fighter Jamie Varner has some advice for younger fighters, too. He says they should wear full-on boxing gloves while training, and to always wear headgear, too.
“You should definitely wear the headgear, it will protect your brain just a little extra. Wear the 16 oz gloves; you don’t need to spar with little MMA gloves. And I think that will help prolong people’s fighting careers.” – Jamie Varner
However, in boxing, there have been studies that have shown that the large gloves can lead to an increase in the long-term damage of the opponent. It makes sense if you think about it. There’s a difference between smashing someone simply with the weight of a hand, or with a hand + 16 ounces. Boxing and mma gloves are also really important when you’re hitting a boxing bag, they allow you to train a lot longer and harder without having to stop because your knuckles are getting all smashed up.
Buying MMA Gloves Online
There’s nothing wrong with buying gloves on line, especially once you’ve found a pair that you like. They’ll all generally fit more or less the same, you just have to know what size your hand is. Buying shoes online has become incredible popular, so if people are able to buy shoes for their feet, which come in many more different fits and styles and sizes, then there’s really no reason at all not to buy gloves online. On the one hand, no pun intended, it can be nice to try the pair on first – but when you realize how much less expensive they are to order online, it’s really a no-brainier.
We’ve collected some of the highest rated gloves and people love, so that we can make a few recommendations:
- UFC Official Fight Glove
- Venum “Challenger” MMA Gloves
- Hayabusa Ikusa MMA Gloves
- Budget Gloves
Official UFC Gloves
Let’s start with the official UFC gloves. They’re the only gloves approved to be worn inside of the Octagon, so if you want the same gloves that the pros are wearing for actual fights in the UFC, this is going to be the closest you’ll find. They’re not the least expensive, but they aren’t the most expensive ones you’ll come across, either.
Venum Challenger Gloves
Venum is a premiere MMA brand, and they make a very solid 4oz glove for training and fighting. You don’t necessarily need to wear hand wraps under these gloves, either, so you can toss them on and off more quickly, which makes them handy for training.
Hayabusa Ikusa MMA Gloves
This is another very highly regarded brand of mma equipment, including their gloves. The vast majority of their reviews are 5/5 stars. People that guy these gloves and use them, love them. They’re a very solid choice, you can’t go wrong with a pair of Hayabusa gloves.
Budget Options
There are some other budget options, you can find plenty of gloves on Amazon for as low as under $10, and in the $10-$20 range. They’re not going to be the greatest, and they probabally won’t even be all that decent, but if you’re on a really tight budget they’ll be better than nothing.
Here’s our recommendation for the cheapest MMA gloves if you can’t get anything better.
As we round up more advice, tips, and recommendations about MMA gloves from experts and professional mma fighters alike, we’ll continue to update this page with all the latest. Have you used any of the gloves recommended here? Make sure you share your experience.
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