How to Choose The Best MMA Gloves

How to choose the best MMA gloves is to some extent a personal choice but you also need to take account of what you use them for and your MMA fighting style. For example, if you are more of a grappler than a hitter you would be better off with a certain style of MMA fighting gloves.

KO's occur more in MMA than boxing due to (1) the impact and (2) that MMA gloves are not as padded as a boxing variety. Make sure your glove has plenty of padding but not so much that it restricts movement or is so bulky you can't perform your grappling techniques. A good way to see if a glove is well designed is to check if there is padding on the sides of the glove so you can work the ground and pound hammer fist strikes.

You will need different varieties for sparring and practise sessions, for actual competition fights and for bag work. Bag gloves are cushioned to protect the MMA fighter against the increasingly heavier forces of striking heavy bags and striking pads. They are usually designed with increased wrist support and are more compact with denser padding. Some bag gloves also have a grip bar built into them. Do not hit a heavy bag unless wearing the proper bag gloves and do not use bag gloves for sparring or you will injure your partner.

There are some great places to buy MMA gloves online and if you are looking to save money this is the way to go. Amazingly, everyone's favourite online store - Amazon - is one of the best sources I've found and I've bought many pairs here.

MMA Fight Gloves

MMA fight gloves are designed to protect both MMA fighters. By design they have a lot less padding than sparring gloves and are designed for real competition.

Some MMA sparring gloves can be used for fighting, but you need to check asmany of them are 5 ounces and larger and may not be legal for MMA competition fights. Of course you must check with your fight organization. Fight gloves are usually 4 oz, and they have little or no padding.

They must be comfortable for you so ideally try before you buy. That said if you buy a reputable brand like Everlast you won't go wrong. An essential tip is - DO NOT BUY CHEAP GLOVES! It's your hands that could be at riska and if they are injured your fighting career will be a short one!

A note on MMA Handwraps - many fighter do not use them when practicing MMA, but they are highly recommended. Again I stress that serious hand injury can keep you out of training for months. Your hands are a very important asset and it is worth tking the time to wrap them properly. Also, you will have to have wrapped hands during MMA competition so you may as well get use to it. If you are having problems fitting your wraps into MMA gloves, many brands now sell MMA wraps, which are shorter and narrower wraps.

You may have seen gloves that offer a covered padded area over the fingers but underneath you still have the versatility to grapple. These gloves would be more classified as a bag or sparring glove and are not suitable for full on fighting. The restriction would be the flow of technique from bag work to grappling or takedowns during training unless you choose to be interrupted and change into your fingerless variety.

Best MMA Gloves

Choosing the best MMA gloves depends largely on your fighting style and what you want to use them for. Broadly speaking there are three categories I would divide these into -

Sparring Gloves
Bag Gloves
Fight Gloves

Of course there are some MMA gloves which will suit for a variety of uses but this can result in them lasting for a shorter time and increasing the risk of injury.

First of all let's look in more detail at MMA sparring gloves. These designed specifically for protecting both MMA fighters and are used only during practice bouts. It’s very important that you buy gloves that clearly state that it is suitable for sparring; check the label and description thoroughly. If you get the wrong gloves, you run the risk of seriously injuring your sparring partner.There are basically two types of sparring gloves: (1) ones that look like traditional MMA gloves and have individual fingers slots or (2) gloves that have a larger more padded striking area and finger loops. Both types are great for sparring and it really comes down to your own preference. I personally like the ones with individual finger slots as I find these more comfortable - particularly when your hands sweat. Sparring gloves have more padding than other gloves to reflect the heavy use and number of strikes and blows they will experience.

Everlast are my own favourites and I have several pairs of these. Comfort is a key consideration as of course is the protection of your hands and the person you are sparring with or fighting.