Top 6 Best MMA Gloves for Training and Competition

It’s usually good to have some guidance before buying a pair of gloves for MMA (Mixed Martial Arts). The variety is so vast that it often becomes confusing which pair to pick. You’ve landed on the right page and we’ll suggest the best MMA gloves for all kinds of requirements.

You might be thinking – what’s so hard in choosing a set of gloves? Well, the correct set depends on your requirements. Your age, skill level, and willingness to enter the ring determines what you must buy. After all, a set of gloves meant for casual practice won’t stand in the ring.

Gloves protect your hands and wrists from the impact of the fights. That said, we recommend that you buy not just the gloves but also invest in some good hand wraps. Those are tied to the wrist before the gloves are fit snugly on the hand.

Hand wraps provide and an extra layer of protection. They absorb and distribute the impact of those powerful punches and prevent you from having muscle injuries.

We’ll now get to our top recommendations for the best MMA training gloves.

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6 Best MMA Gloves Reviewed

#1 Venum Challenger MMA Gloves

Venum is among the top names when it comes to MMA gear, especially gloves. The Venum Challenger MMA gloves are incredibly comfortable to wear. The pair is made from PU leather and uses a hook and loop at the wrist wide enough to prevent an injury.

The company provides a double closure system to ensure they fit perfectly. The Venum Challenger comes with double-reinforced high-density foam for each finger. The company has added another foam layer inside the gloves the absorb the impact. That said, the layer also absorbs a lot of sweat so you might want to look out for a pair of hand wraps too.

This pair is ideal for daily practice at the gym or the matches at the ring. The company provides three sizes – Small, Medium, and Large/Extra Large. There is a visual reference available to match your hand circumference with the appropriate size. This way, Venum ensures you’re getting it right the first time.

The circumference of the hand may be measured using a measuring tape, closing the fist, and taking the measurement just below your knuckles.

We like the attention Venum has paid in designing the gloves. Every aspect of the gloves is commendable and will ensure minimal risk of hand injury during practice or competition. We especially liked the high wrist and broad Velcro. The quality can be seen from the image.

The Venum logo and brand name is printed on the wrist section and looks cool. The Venum Challenger gloves are available in six colors. Even after our recommendation, you will have some choices to do.

Refer to the MMA Glove Size Chart. Ensure that you choose the correct set from among the small, medium, and large/extra-large sizes.

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#2 RDX MMA Gloves

The RDX MMA gloves are the right blend of price and quality and that makes this pair of gloves a value for money buy. The gloves are made from synthetic material and are strengthened using genuine Maya hide leather.

The leather provides a premium feel to the gloves and adds to the durability – leather is quite resistant against cracks. RDX uses a triple-layer PC3 padding material for superior shock absorption and impact distribution.

Talking about the fitting part, there is a hook and loop Velcro to help it fasten to your wrist. The Velcro is long and goes around the wrist twice for a good grip.

There’s so much attention to the design that we absolutely love it. RDX has paid specific attention to the palm area, and a cut palm-side design ensures that your grip, when holding a bar or rod, is superior. The region is ventilated to allow fresh air to take care of the sweat.

The RDX MMA pair of gloves are suitable for a daily workout, boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai and Mixed Martial Arts (MMA).

You may have the gloves of a color of your choice. There are not too many variants, but we feel that the four the company has provided are enough. You may choose from Black, Blue, Red, or Pink. Women who want to box – RDX is giving a pink color!

There are four sizes-small, medium, large, and extra-large.

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#3 Hayabusa T3 MMA Gloves

Hayabusa is a top brand when it comes to MMA gear. Once you start searching for gloves and other martial arts equipment, you shall get a lot of advertisements – why? Because Hayabusa is good at what they do.

The brand has the endorsement of many famous MMA fighters so there is hardly any question about their quality and performance. The T3 MMA Pro Style gloves are suited for a diverse set of applications – training, striking, and combat. This surely would add to your boxing arsenal.

The T3 MMA Pro Style gloves are pictured at the right for your reference. The high-quality construction is distinctly visible.

These gloves weigh 4 ounces and are among the lighter gloves available on the market. Hayabusa provides these gloves in many colors and states that they are suitable for both men and women.

There is excellent attention paid to the wrist area – the company has a patented wrist support mechanism that provides superior comfort and prevents fatigue during high-intensity training or matches.

The gloves are designed with a subtle curve to match that of the hand for enhanced comfort. Additionally, the closure mechanism on the T3 MMA Pro Style is one of the best we have reviewed.

There are four size variants – Small, medium, large, and extra-large. The quality is premium, and since you’re talking about one of the best brands, expect to pay a premium price.

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Also Read: Best MMA Equipment for your Home Gym

#4 Venum Elite MMA Gloves

The Venum Elite is a very premium quality pair of gloves for sparring, training, and real fights. The quality of protection and padding applied to these gloves makes them feel very safe and inspiring. This is one set that surely deserves a spot on the top five.

The added protection needs extra material, and the gloves weigh 7 ounces. However, the padding does not feel too much for the hand.

There is an excellent protection for the knuckles and that is where the weight is coming from. The gloves are made from premium Skintex leather and manufactured in Thailand.

Now, some may argue that martial arts require unrestricted grappling and hitting accuracy. This set might affect these aspects. If, however, you want to train on a free-standing bag or just hit with maximum force in the ring, this might be the ideal pair for you. That said, the gloves may be a tad heavy for your opponent in the ring during sparring.

The fit and comfort of the Venum Elite are great. The gloves are adjustable with the wrist closure being a double layer mechanism. You can expect a firm grip. The Skintex material helps the fingers and there is hardly any movement during intense fights.

What size fits you best should be determined using the information on the website, and user reviews are best to understand which size would suit you best. Also, the Elite gloves need to be used for some time before you can expect a stable boxing experience.

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#5 Sanabul Essential MMA Gloves

The Sanabul Essential series gear is for daily use in the gym and is pocket-friendly. The Essential MMA Grappling Gloves are just what you need for a regular workout.

These MMA training gloves are lightweight at 4 ounces and allow full freedom of hand movement during fights. Do not let the weight mislead you. Sanabul gets all its products tested by pro fighters. If the company has its approval, we believe you shouldn’t be worried.

The training gloves are made from engineered leather. The company uses “Durasoft” foam to allow the impact to be distributed before it reaches your hand.

The most impressive characteristic of these gloves is the open construction and ease to wear. With the Sanabul Essential, you won’t have to wear the glove the regular way.

Instead, the glove opens completely. You place your hand and then close the glove – easy, isn’t it? Maybe a picture will help you understand why we are fascinated with this pair of training gloves. Now that’s an inviting pair of gloves, isn’t it?

To close the glove, there is the usual hook and loop Velcro. Another exciting aspect of open construction is that hand wraps do not pose a challenge. For typical gloves, you would have to wear hand wraps to fit the structure of the gloves. Here, there is no such problem.

A must-have for those who want to try using hand wraps, this is available in four sizes – small, medium, large, and extra-large. The break-in time is less compared to other “heavier” gloves.

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#6 Fairtex FGV15 MMA Sparring Gloves

Coming on to the final recommendation of this article, we have the Fairtex FGV15 that is a set of MMA sparring gloves. The set is constructed from high-quality material and has an authentic leather shell.

The FGV15 has a double loop at the wrist and an open palm mounting. Now that is interesting because the company has paid attention to both aspects – wearing and grappling. The open palm design helps in maneuverability and allows full freedom of movement required for sparring the opponent.

The Velcro at the wrist is a double-wrist design, and the gloves are very thick at the knuckles section. If you use these gloves, you feel less impact while the opponent gets a better impact – good for you, right?

Let us make you aware of the sizing – these gloves do not have a small size. They have three variants – medium, large, and extra-large. The smallest set weighs 5 oz while the largest is 1 oz heavier.

The Fairtex MMA Grappling Gloves – FGV15 feels really premium to touch and wear. The image at the right gives a fair idea of the high-quality construction.

The gloves are made from leather shell and handcrafted in Thailand – be prepared to pay a premium if you are opting for these. They will surely not disappoint you. Champions around the world use Fairtex equipment.

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How to Choose the Best MMA Gloves?

Any pair of gloves used for boxing or mixed martial arts has one job – to protect the hand and support it during the fight. Just walking into the gym with a random pair of gloves isn’t going to help you at all. This is not something you buy without considering a lot of factors.

You should consider these factors before investing in a pair of training gloves.

Purpose

What is the reason for choosing MMA gloves? Do you want a workout that involves boxing with a heavy bag? Or you’re looking forward to getting trained in some form of martial arts like Muay Thai? – MMA gloves are made differently for each use case.

Once you know what you’re doing, you should go for the gloves.

Fit

This is the most crucial aspect of gloves for any sport. The fit should be comfortable and airy. Too tight, and you might start feeling the tingling sensation of pins and needles as the gloves block blood flow. Too loose means there would be a movement which is terrible. You could hurt yourself. Your accuracy, of course, takes a hit.

MMA gloves are often used with hand wraps. Know about the need for hand wraps and also factor that into glove sizing. Hand wraps are usually recommended with most MMA practices because hand wraps provide a superior grip.

Size

Always read about the pair of gloves you are considering buying. Small, medium, and large and not the same across different manufacturers or different types of gloves. Always use the sizing reference chart to determine the ideal size for yourself.

Cost and Brand

Once you consider the factors mentioned previously, you may have already shortlisted some gloves. Branded gloves are undoubtedly more expensive compared to their generic counterparts but they do have their benefits.

If you are a novice and do not know what to buy, maybe you could go with an unbranded pair that offers value for money. As you learn about sports, your understanding of the needs would be natural. Hardly any serious athlete has only one set of gloves.

FAQ’s

Is it Necessary to Wear Hand Wraps?

A) It is not a strict “rule” to wear hand wraps. However, if you look at the construction of the gloves, no matter how good the design is, there will always be some space between the hand and the gloves. Hand wraps are meant to buffer this space. When you practice with hand wraps, the impact on your wrist, knuckles, and bones is lesser.

Conclusion

Novice or professional, having a good pair of gloves is essential to your practice or professional-level matches. Comfort, fit, correct weight, suitability for the sport are some fundamental aspects practitioners should pay attention to.

There are several factors where people often end up making mistakes. Those are – buying a cheaper variant that promises the same benefits as that of a branded set at a lower price, using gloves that are heavier than required, avoiding the use of hand wraps, among others.

Please know that weight guidelines are set for a reason, and heavy is not necessarily good. You should use the gloves as per your skill and the sport you intend to participate in.

We have listed the six best pairs of gloves for MMA training, sparring, and boxing. Choose wisely and enjoy your training.

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