As an MMA fighter, you need to have the right gloves. Not only do they play a vital role in your performance but also your safety. You want to strike with power without any fear of getting an injury.
As an MMA expert, I know the difference between a bad pair of gloves and a good pair. You need to have confidence that you can both strike with power and grapple when you need to. With all my experience, I’m here to help you find the best MMA gloves.
Along with our in-depth product reviews, we’ve also written a buying guide so you can make the right call on the best MMA gloves for you. Let’s get started by looking at our top picks.
Table of Contents
Top Picks
| Best For | Best Value | Premium Pick | Budget Option |
| Product |   |   |   |
| Product Name | RDX F12 MMA Gloves | Everlast Everstrike Gloves | Liberlupus MMA Gloves |
| Guru’s Rating | 10 | 9.5 | 9 |
| More Information | Check Price | Check Price | Check Price |
Who Should Get This?
Anyone looking to train their MMA skills let alone fight needs a great pair of gloves. The gloves are not only used to soften the blow on your opponent to also protect your wrists and hands. If you’re doing any form of striking then you need some of these gloves. You may want to use different pairs for training, sparring, and fighting but high-quality gloves are required for any activity.
Factors to Consider Before Buying MMA Gloves
Types of MMA Gloves
There are three main types of gloves. Firstly, you have some sparring gloves that have a greater level of padding and are great for training. You also get grappling gloves that have less padding and allow for greater freedom.
Then you get fighting gloves which can be split into two types of training gloves and competition gloves. Competition gloves weigh 4oz and have very minimal padding. Training gloves are a little bigger and are ideal for amateur bouts or more intense sparring sessions.
Leather Quality
The first thing to consider when buying a pair of MMA gloves is the leather quality. Good quality leather will allow it to last a long time. Additionally, it will let you feel comfortable doing some hard training with these gloves.
Good leather quality enhances the visual appeal and the touch texture improves the overall comfort and motivation for the wearer. The main options to choose from are synthetic leather and non-synthetic leather.
Synthetic leathers are cheaper compared to non-synthetic leathers. Gloves with synthetic leather are easily replaced and do not last very long. However, some brands like RDX make quality synthetic leather that gives a great balance of price and performance.
Non-synthetic leather gloves generally weigh more, last longer, and are more expensive to purchase. Unless you want an expert and professional level of gloves, synthetic leather will be more than good enough.
Padding
The second most important attribute to take into account when purchasing MMA gloves is the padding. There is a risk of injury during training or sparring if the padding in the gloves is not sufficient or lacking in some areas.
Padding in MMA gloves is mostly foam but foams can be of different quality. High-quality foams retain their shape and continue to dampen the impact even after taking a lot of punishment. Conversely, a low-quality foam deforms after a while and does not mitigate the impact on your knuckles.
It is best to replace the foam or buy new gloves if the padding in a glove no longer absorbs the impact. Usually, training gloves tend to have lower-quality padding compared to competition gloves. Padding is the most important aspect of the glove you should consider if you want a good product for your budget.
Design Comfort
It goes without saying if your glove does not fit comfortably on your hand, then it is not something that will help you perform well during your sparring and training sessions.
Multiple factors contribute to comfort. Sweat absorption, airflow, fabric texture, and tight-fitting of the glove on your hand define the comfort level of your gloves.
Sweaty hands make it difficult to grapple and cause discomfort. In turn, it distracts you from the spar and lowers performance. An ill-fitting glove can often cause injuries and without a perfect tight fit, the glove will slip across your hand. It results in loss of control and further increases the chance of injury and bad form.
When purchasing MMA gloves, aim for a glove that fits you perfectly with bandages or hand wraps to ensure maximum safety and control.
Best MMA Gloves Review
1. Liberlupus MMA Gloves
- Best For: High-quality sparring and fighting
- Key Features: Excellent build quality, open palms, double straps
- Material: Faux synthetic Leather
- Ability Level: Beginner to Advanced
If you wanted an all-around MMA glove that was suited all the way from beginner level to expert then you’ll love these. It’s hard to pick a fault with them as they tick all the right boxes.
The Liberlupus MMA gloves are excellent gloves for their price range. They have good design and aesthetic quality. With their premium synthetic leather build, they will last any fighter a long time.
Liberlupus produce good combat sports equipment, and the Liberlupus MMA gloves are no different. The double straps on the wrist give the glove stability when worn.
It is an excellent glove for sparring and general-purpose training. Some drawbacks of this glove are the lack of size distribution. If the standard size does not fit you perfectly, chances are alternative sizes will not either. Another thing to note is the padding around the second knuckle is a little light.
2. Combat Sports Pro Style MMA Gloves
- Best For: Fighting in competitions
- Key Features: Well padded, great for grappling, high-quality materials
- Material: Premium synthetic Leather
- Ability Level: Expert
Combat Sports International Pro style MMA Gloves are excellent gloves for anyone who is fighting and not just training. They are very comfortable and inexpensive despite having a pro-style with excellent quality.
The Combat Sports Pro gloves come with good padding all around the glove. The extra padding towards the knuckles aids the curved hand position. The design also helps with grappling and general training.
With the premium synthetic leather build, they are inexpensive and durable. Combat Sports Pro MMA gloves are available in many sizes. They have a tight double Velcro strap as well that ensures glove stability.
The Combat Sports Pro MMA gloves are an excellent pick for training and fighting. However, they are not for repetitive hard bag training as they are only 5oz gloves.
3. Everlast Everstrike Training Gloves
- Best For: All aspects of MMA training
- Key Features: Very comfortable, ventilation system, reinforced foam padding
- Material: Synthetic leather
- Ability Level: Beginner to Intermediate
Everlast Everstrike Training gloves are the best gloves you can get for multipurpose use. They are the perfect pair if you want the best gloves for training.
The synthetic leather used to produce them makes them sturdy for general purpose use. Everlast is known for its excellent gloves, and this pair is no different from the rest.
The Everstrike MMA gloves are ideal for grappling training, general Muay Thai training, and even light sparring. Trainees should opt for these gloves as they are inexpensive and comfortable.
Anyone new to MMA will instantly fall in love with their security and comfort. The only downside to these gloves is that they come in only two sizes of S/M and L/XL.
If your palm circumference lies outside the two sizes, these are not the gloves for you. However, if they fit you, you will love them.
4. Elite Sports MMA UFC Gloves
- Best For: High shock resistance
- Key Features: Double wrap Velcro, foam and gel padding, close and snug fit
- Material: Premium Synthetic Leather
- Ability Level: Beginner to Intermediate
If you’re worried about hurting your hands and need extra padding then get these Elite Sports gloves. The UFC-style gloves are a great pick for their excellent all-around gel and foam padding.
The open design allows for much ventilation to dry out sweat. Consequently, they reduce the wear and tear impact on the glove as a whole and improve the grip for grapples and holds.
The comfort is above average for most gloves, and it is one of the most affordable gloves in the market. Elite Sports manufactures gloves to be used primarily for training and practice purposes. One thing of note about these gloves is that they have padding down to the second knuckle.
An added benefit to these gloves is that they are easy to clean and maintain. If you’ve only recently started in the world of MMA and need more protection, you won’t find better than these gloves.
5. RDX F 12 MMA Gloves
- Best For: All levels of MMA training and combat
- Key Features: Excellent leather, contoured design, durable build quality
- Material: Maya hide leather
- Ability Level: Beginner to Expert
For those who just want some fantastic gloves that are ideal for all forms of MMA training and combat, RDX have you covered. These gloves are outstanding and at their price range, are incredible value for money.
RDX is a British company with a history of making MMA gloves. These mitts give you just about everything you want in MMA gloves.
Let us start with their material quality. The RDX F12 gloves are made of Maya leather, making them very durable. With TRI SLAB PC3 padding, your knuckles are secure from impact.
The open-hand circular design allows ample airflow to keep your palms dry and grapple ready. On the topic of grappling, the RDX F12 gloves excel in grappling and kickboxing. In fact, with both the open-hand design and sweat-absorbent material, your grapples are guaranteed to be flawless given the correct technique.
Unlike other MMA gloves on this list, the F12 does not have a double wrap velcro strap. However, it comes in multiple sizes, from small, to extra-large. The general stability and durability of the gloves make it such that you can use these gloves for sparring and grappling in addition to some light bag training.
6. Brace Master MMA Gloves
- Best For: Incredible versatility
- Key Features: High durability, open palm design, and excellent shock protection
- Material: Leather and Foam
- Ability Level: Beginner
For those looking for versatile gloves that are perfect for a wide range of combat sport activities, look no further. These gloves are brilliant and their phenomenal customer rating is a testament to their quality.
While their quality means that these are suitable for those with MMA experience, I think these are ideal for beginners. Their low price makes them a great introduction to MMA gloves and their durability means you’ll get plenty of use out of them.
Whether you are fighting, sparring, or working out, these are great gloves. They offer you a high level of finger and wrist protection while allowing you to throw power punches. The gloves can do this without limiting your freedom of movement.
7. ZooBoo MMA Gloves
- Best For: Those who sweat a lot
- Key Features: Breathable design, High wrist support, strong grip, durable materials
- Material: Premium PU leather
- Ability Level: Beginner
If you love your gloves with a bit of extra style then you’re going to love this pair. These ZooBoo gloves will appeal to anyone who suffers from sweaty palms. With their open design, any moisture is going to be kept to a minimum.
What first strikes you about these gloves is the design. The skeletal hand on the outer glove looks epic but they also have claw designs. While they look great, the gloves have the performance level to back up that style.
Made from premium PU leather, they are going to last for many training sessions before ever showing signs of wear. You’ll appreciate the strong grip you have here along with an impressive level of hand and wrist protection.
My Verdict
MMA gloves are essential to a safe and controlled spar. The best MMA gloves should be comfortable, durable, and fit well. You also want them to be great value for money.
Of all the MMA gloves we picked, the best overall gloves are no doubt the RDX F12 MMA Gloves. These are suitable for almost any activity and come at a brilliant price. They’ll allow you to fine-tune your skills while also having immense durability.
While we thought the RDX gloves are the best out there, it may be that a different pair is more suited to your needs. All seven here are very impressive so you can’t go wrong with whichever one you pick.
FAQs
What is the right size for my MMA gloves?
To find the right size, you need to take the circumference of your hand just below your knuckles. Each manufacturer should provide a size guide which you can then follow. It’s also worth checking product reviews to see if there are any sizing issues.
Should MMA gloves be used on heavy bags?
Most MMA gloves are generally not padded enough to handle the impact from punching a heavy punching bag. Most MMA gloves will deform and deteriorate if used for hard bag or punching bag training. You can buy sparring gloves which have a much higher level of padding.
The difference between MMA and Boxing Gloves?
Both are good for separate things. MMA gloves are less padded but offer higher freedom of motion. Boxing gloves are well-padded and protect the hands from the impacts of punching hard objects such as a punching bag. They are completely different and one can be used for the other sport.
How thick should the padding be for MMA gloves?
Ideally, MMA gloves should be padded about one inch thick. Thickness below this threshold often does not mitigate the impact properly. Thickness over one inch can lead to heavy gloves and lack of sensation and control but can be better for bag work.
How heavy should the MMA gloves be?
MMA Gloves are anywhere between 4oz to 6oz. Most amateurs choose 6oz gloves for extra protection during spars and fights. While 6oz gloves are common among amateurs, at the professional level it’s fairly standard to wear 4oz gloves.
Should I wear hand wraps under the MMA gloves?
Whether you are hitting something with 16oz boxing gloves or 4oz MMA gloves, you should always use hand wraps. Fighting gloves aren’t designed to give you bones support and stability so you always need to wear wraps.