MMA GLOVES

Whether you are new to Mixed Martial Arts training or a veteran cage veteran, you need the best MMA gloves for training, sparring, and competition.

The best MMA gloves provide protection for the hand, finger, and wrist while leaving the hands and fingers free to move. MMA top gloves should be comfortable and sturdy to prevent injury while training. Some gloves work in many ways in their use, just be aware of the pros and cons of each style of gloves before using them.

In this article I am going through some of the best MMA gloves in each category, making your purchase decisions easier. We’ll show you the best times to use each type of glove to get the best performance. When reviewing these gloves, just remember that you are investing in an important part of the gears, so always go for quality and choose the highest quality MMA gloves for standard training, MMA sparring gloves, and lastly, the best MMA Gloves to compete for real MMA fight.

Your MMA competitive gloves should not be worn during regular training. Most of them will wear their competitive gloves 1-2 times before the battle to allow themselves to feel the lightweight of the glove and break the gloves if they are not yet worn.

Before buying gloves, make sure you look at the promotion to make sure the gloves you are buying will be legal and meet the requirements for such promotions. If you fight professionally, your coaches probably know the requirements, however, it is worth it to look twice either way.

We generally do not recommend MMA gloves for heavy bag work. Padding around the wrists and support on the wrists is simply not enough to keep your hands safe while traveling for long periods during heavy bag training. When it comes to hard bag work and throwing, you should consider Muay Thai boxing gloves.

The main difference between boxing gloves and MMA gloves is in size, weight, and padding. Competitive punches are made with a glove size between 8oz and 16oz. As we said, MMA gloves usually don’t get bigger than 7oz.

Types of MMA Gloves

To make it as easy for you as possible, I have divided MMA gloves into three main types – training, Sparring, and Competitive.

Training Gloves

Training gloves allow for extra finger movement. While you may not use these types of gloves in legal battles or competitions, they are very useful when it comes to combat training such as grappling and clinch work.

Sparring Gloves

Sparring gloves are much heavier than your standard 4 to 6 oz. MMA gloves. They provide extra protection on the hand by using additional padding and have an internal grip bar similar to boxing gloves. This way, your fist will be the safest way to hit.

While sparring MMA gloves should naturally bring a lot of protection to you and your partner. But it still hurts to be hit with those gloves. My suggestion is to use tooth piece and headgear at all times or you may lose a tooth or cut out of the headgear. It’s a fighting game but you don’t want to follow unnecessary injuries when training.

Competitive Gloves

Competitive gloves are what you need to focus on the most. While you will be using the different types we have mentioned above, you need to be familiar with professional gloves before you can enter the real battle.

Competitive gloves do not have small pads and weigh 4 ounces. Never forget to use additional protection such as hand folding. Although these gloves are designed to withstand severe damage to your opponent, they will also hurt you. Always remember to take good care of your hands as they are also important.

Best Materials for MMA Gloves

Leather vs. Synthetic Material:

Yes, leather is expensive compared to synthetic materials, but it is strong, natural, and extremely durable as long as you take care of it. Synthetic leather can be beautiful, but you usually feel the difference, you feel a little cheaper. Also, take a look at the world of MMA glove production. The best MMA gloves are usually made in Thailand and Pakistan. Here the martial arts industry is becoming more and more popular. Cheap MMA gloves can be made in China, or anywhere.

Padding:

Foam is a material used for padding in most MMA gloves. Most gloves use a thick foam, and some use standard foam. As the outer material of the glove, the cheap foam is less likely to last more than months and years of use. Look for gloves with standard foam padding, especially your focus on sparring and a competitive glove, where punching shots are very important.

Wrist Belt/Strap:

Always go for the strong Velcro wrist strap on your gloves. The belt helps keep your gloves secure and tight around your fist.

What size of MMA glove do you need?

Finding the right size for your hand is very important. You should know that it will directly affect all your training and development. How to know for sure how to measure the circumference of your palm. Sizes usually do not vary between products but you can always check the appropriate measurement for different products. They must clarify everything.

Finding inappropriate MMA gloves can lead to injury. In addition, your training will not be 100% sufficient. There are usually four standard sizes from the smallest to the largest in all brands. If you want to be specific about your size, some products offer additional options.