MMA gloves or grappling gloves are small, open-fingered gloves used in

mixed martial arts Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, inc ...

bouts. They usually have around 4–6 oz of padding and are designed to provide some protection to the person wearing the glove, but leave the fingers available for

grappling Grappling, in hand-to-hand combat, describes sports that consist of gripping or seizing the opponent. Grappling is used at close range to gain a physical advantage over an opponent, either by imposing a position or causing injury. Grappling i ...

maneuvers such as

clinch fighting Clinch fighting is the part of stand-up fighting where the combatants are grappling in a clinch, typically using clinch holds. Clinching the opponent can be used to eliminate the opponent's effective usage of some kicks, punches, and melee weap ...

and submissions.

History

Small, open-fingered gloves were first mandatory in Japan's

Shooto Shooto is a combat sport and mixed martial arts organization that is governed by the ''Shooto Association'' and the ''International Shooto Commission''. Shooto was originally formed in 1985, first as a particular fighting system and then in 198 ...

promotion and were later adopted by the

UFC The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

as it developed into a regulated sport. Gloves were introduced to protect fighters' fists from injuries, as well as reduce the number of facial lacerations (and stoppages due to cuts) that fighters experienced without gloves. The introduction of gloves was also intended to encourage fighters to use their hands for striking to allow more captivating matches for fans. There are some similarities to the wrist-supporting, closed-thumb, broken-knuckle ''kempo gloves'' popularized by

Bruce Lee Bruce Lee (; born Lee Jun-fan, ; November 27, 1940 – July 20, 1973) was a Hong Kong and American martial artist and actor. He was the founder of Jeet Kune Do, a hybrid martial arts philosophy drawing from different combat disciplines that ...

's 1973 movie ''

Enter the Dragon ''Enter the Dragon'' ( zh, t=龍爭虎鬥) is a 1973 martial arts film directed by Robert Clouse and written by Michael Allin. The film stars Bruce Lee, John Saxon and Jim Kelly. It was Lee's final completed film appearance before his death o ...

''.

Types and use

Competition gloves - Most professional fights have the fighters wear 4 ounce (110 g) gloves, whereas amateurs may wear a slightly heavier 6 ounce (170 g) glove for increased protection. According to the rules, UFC allows gloves between 4-6 ounces, and even heavier for certain larger sized gloves, e.g. 2 XL – 4 XL. Sparring gloves - Generally speaking MMA sparring gloves weight is usually 7 ounces. When sparring there is obviously a lot of punching involved, from working the bag to actual sparring with a partner. Both of these require that your knuckles are adequately protected and cushioned from the forces put upon them. The 7oz refers to the weight of the padding inside the gloves and not the overall weight. Grappling gloves - Otherwise known as hybrid or training gloves these are used mainly for clinch work/grappling.This type of glove has less padding than sparring or competition gloves. In addition each finger can be moved independently allowing for more gripping ability.

Impact of gloves on safety and injuries

The impact of gloves on the injuries caused during a fight is a controversial issue, mostly looked at in relation to boxing. The use of padded gloves in fights protect the fists of the wearer but don't prevent

brain injury An injury is any physiological damage to living tissue caused by immediate physical stress. An injury can occur intentionally or unintentionally and may be caused by blunt trauma, penetrating trauma, burning, toxic exposure, asphyxiation, or o ...

unless they are so large that they become difficult to use.Dillner L. ''Boxing should be counted out, says BMA report''. BMJ. 1993;306:1561–1562. These gloves protect the fists of the wearer and allow stronger punches than in bare-knuckle fights, and it is the changes in acceleration to the head as a whole that tears the blood vessels, not the impact with the glove.

List of MMA Gloves Approved by Associations

References

External links

{{martial arts Mixed martial arts

MMA gloves MMA gloves or grappling gloves are small, open-fingered gloves used in mixed martial arts bouts. They usually have around 4–6 oz of padding and are designed to provide some protection to the person wearing the glove, but leave the fingers avail ...