Best MMA Training Gloves

MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) is an extremely physically demanding sport that requires extensive, consistent, and rigorous training. 

If you’re training to be an MMA fighter, you’ll need gear that’s as tough as you are to withstand your training regimen and protect you in the process. 

Gloves are right up there with mouth guards, headgear, and groin protectors in the most important protective gear for MMA training. 

In this article, we’ll be reviewing the 5 best MMA training gloves on the market to help you take your fight game to the next level.

We’ve also put together a buyer’s guide and FAQ section for more information. 

Best MMA Training Gloves Buying Guide

As promised, we’ve now showcased and reviewed the best MMA training gloves that you can buy in just one click.

But before you do, we’ve created this buyer’s guide of all the essential factors and features to consider. 

Size

The size of your MMA training gloves will determine the fit which, in turn, will determine how effectively you are able to train. Therefore, it’s vitally important to get the sizing right when purchasing gloves for MMA training. 

Of course, you want your gloves to fit snugly so that they’re not sliding around on your hands and distracting you during training. However, you also don’t want to go too far in the other direction or you’ll end up feeling as though your hands are in plaster casts. In short, you want your MMA gloves to fit… Well, like a glove! 

Fortunately, many manufacturers and brands will provide their own individual size guides, with recommendations regarding sizing up or down where necessary. These guidelines are especially important to pay attention to where sizing goes up in increments of more than one size at a time - for example, Small/Medium, or Large/X-Large. 

All you’ll need in order to determine your hand size in most cases is a tape measure or ruler to measure across the relevant parts of your hand. Instructions on how to do this and where to measure will usually also be provided in the size guide. 

Durability

One of the main things that set good-quality MMA training gloves apart from the competition is durability. 

Serious MMA fighters train for roughly 20 to 24 hours a week. That’s 4 to 5 hours a day, 5 to 6 days a week. That’s why it’s so important to buy durable training gloves that won’t be easily worn out. 

As a rule, high-quality MMA training gloves will be made of either real or synthetic leather. Of course, real leather will be the most durable option of the two, but it does have the disadvantage of being much more costly. Additionally, not everyone is able to wear real leather for a variety of reasons. 

The alternative is synthetic, polyurethane leather, also known as PU leather. In terms of impact-resistance, PU leather probably won’t fare quite as well as the real thing, but it does have other advantages that are worth mentioning. 

For one thing, PU leather is significantly more water-resistant than real leather, so if your gloves regularly get exposed to water for whatever reason, you might want to consider this material. Additionally, PU leather isn’t so prone to drying out as real leather. 

You’ll also want to think about the durability of the padding inside your gloves. If the padding is of low quality, it may be damaged and become ineffective after prolonged use.

To prevent this from happening, we recommend investing in some gloves that use thick, high-density, multi-layer padding. EVA and Durafoam are both great options. Padding of this kind will also protect your hands and prevent you from injuring yourself during heavy bag training. 

Construction

MMA glove construction, for high-quality training gloves at least, should be centered around ergonomics. 

Ideally, the lining of the gloves should be soft and non-abrasive; your hands will be sore enough after a training session without having to contend with fabric-burn. 

Gloves that encourage a natural hand curvature should also be prioritized because they won’t restrict the natural motion of your hands or fingers. 

While we’re on the subject of fingers, you should also consider what kind of finger openings you prefer. Fingerless gloves will enable the most dexterity, but they’ll offer little protection for your second knuckles. Half-finger gloves will provide more protection without imposing much more restriction. 

Closure

Closure systems often fly under the radar compared with all the other features of MMA gloves, but they are actually extremely important.

Not only is the closure system partly responsible for ensuring a good fit - it can also help to prevent injuries to the wrist, such as sprains, by providing additional wrist support. 

Not to mention, a good closure system will make your gloves much easier to put on and take off, especially if you’re wearing hand wraps or bandaging underneath. 

Hook-and-loop fastening systems are the most common closure systems in MMA gloves because they allow better adjustability than other systems, are easy to operate, and create a wrap-around effect that enables superior wrist support. 

The thicker the strap, the more support it will provide. Supportiveness will also be enhanced by a double-closure system, so this is definitely something to consider if you’ve sustained previous wrist injuries. 

Frequently Asked Questions 

What is the difference between MMA and boxing gloves?

MMA, as we mentioned previously, and as you probably already know, stands for ‘Mixed Martial Arts’. What this means is that MMA encompasses elements from a variety of different martial arts, including Muay Thai, Judo, Karate, wrestling, and boxing, amongst others. 

However, although MMA fighting does incorporate moves and techniques from boxing, the two remain distinctly different martial arts with different requirements. 

The main difference between these two sports is that boxing exclusively involves striking at your opponent using punches. There are very specific rules in boxing regarding where and how you can punch - for instance, punches 

Now, because boxing is a sport centered around landing punches, and punches only, boxing gloves reflect this in their construction. Boxing gloves are closed-fingered and often have more curve to them than MMA gloves because, in boxing, your hands only ever really need to be in a fist. 

In MMA, on the other hand, grappling and clinching are also involved, so it’s necessary to have more room for movement and dexterity in the fingers. That’s why MMA gloves allow the fingers to be exposed and, in most cases, separated from one another. 

Another key difference between MMA and boxing gloves is that, on average, boxing gloves are more heavily padded. Again, this is because, in boxing, your hands are your only weapon, so there tends to be more punching involved than in MMA, where you can also use other parts of your body. The extra padding in boxing gloves is for the protection of both parties. 

This isn’t to say that there aren’t gloves on the market that will be suitable for both boxing and MMA training. However, the bottom line is that if you want the best, most discipline-oriented performance, you should invest in some MMA-specific training gloves.

Is there a difference between MMA training and sparring gloves?

If you browse MMA gloves online, you’ll find many gloves marketed specifically as sparring or training gloves, and some advertised as suitable for both. This might get you wondering what the difference is between MMA training and sparring gloves. 

First of all, the differences aren’t always clear-cut, hence why so many MMA gloves can be used both during training and in the ring. 

However, generally speaking, training gloves for MMA are built to be firmer than sparring gloves so that they can hold up during consistent, repetitive, heavy bag work. 

Sparring gloves, on the other hand, tend to be designed with shock-resistance or shock-absorption in mind. The reason for this is to minimize the risk of inflicting serious injury on your opponent.