How Should MMA Gloves Fit?

Ask any boxer or MMA fighter the question, “What is the most vital part of your body in the sport?” Hands down, the answer is predominantly, the hands. This fact is even more pronounced for MMA fighters as they can be down on the mat trying to wiggle out of a submission or are grabbing your opponent’s limbs either to position yourself for a strike or to execute a submission of your own. What do you need to do all of this successfully? The perfect MMA gloves! Below is a guide on MMA gloves where we look at common features to go for when evaluating MMA gloves.

Padding

Padding on MMA gloves vary in thickness and type. Some of the best MMA gloves offer gel padding technology for impact absorption. In general padding on MMA gloves should be about an inch thick. It is important to remember these gloves are not intended for heavy bag work but to spar or for an actual fight.

Fingerless Gloves

As discussed earlier, MMA fighters are doing a host of moves with their hands. Other than protecting them, they are looking to use their fingers to clinch or grip onto their opponent’s legs and arms to do a submission hold. For that you can have boxing glove style restrictions on your hands. Imagine trying to hold onto your opponent’s forearm to execute a triangle-choke lock or an arm-bar, with boxing gloves on. Doesn’t make sense, right? What you need is your fingertips to be free to perform the actual gripping.

Quality

Your MMA gloves should be able to last you several years. They are meant to withstand a lot of use and should be made of the best quality. This includes material, the stitching, and the cut of the MMA gloves’ leather, among other things.

Size

Your MMA gloves should snugly fit on your hand. There’s no point in it being too tight that it restricts blood flow and you are unable to use your hands in the manner desired. On the other hand, MMA gloves shouldn’t be too loose either, as they can hamper the force of your punch.