10 Best MMA Gloves: Top picks by experts (2023)
Are you looking to find the perfect yet best MMA gloves? As an MMA boxer, whether you’re just starting out or a seasoned pro, the most crucial aspect of the sport is protecting your hands. Neglecting proper hand protection can lead to long-term injuries, and even force you to end your career prematurely. That’s why investing in a high-quality pair of gloves is an essential step for every boxer. But with so many options available on the market, choosing the right pair can be a daunting task.
To make it easier for you, we have compiled a list of the top 10 MMA gloves currently available. Our list includes gloves that are suitable for all levels of expertise and are chosen based on multiple factors like weight, material, fit, cost, quality, and intended use whether it’s for competition or training and grappling. We’ve done the research, so you can focus on what matters most – your training and performance.”
Our Top Picks (Overview)
We have detailed the gloves with pros and cons below but here is a quick summary for those who have limited time.
Best MMA Gloves for Competition
- Best Overall: RDX MMA : Jump to review
- Best leather competition gloves:
Hayabusa T3 Leather gloves : Jump to review - Best budget gloves for Competition: Combat Sports Pro : Jump to review
- Best Hybrid gloves: Sanabul Battle Forged : Jump to review
- Best for Beginners: Everlast Pro Style : Jump to review
Best MMA gloves for Training and Grappling
- Best Training Gloves: Fairtex FGV18 Super Sparring gloves : Jump to review
- Best All-Rounder: UFC Pro Sparring : Jump to review
- Best Bag and Sparring: Combat Sports Max Strike : Jump to review
- Best Premium training gloves:
Hayabusa T3 Training : Jump to review - Best Budget gloves for Training: Everlast Train Advanced : Jump to review
Detailed reviews of the Best MMA Gloves for Competition
The Louis-Vuitton of MMA gloves, the Hayabusa T3 LX Leather gloves, are made from high-end hand-crafted Italian leather. It’s not just about the looks, their premium multi-layered foam technology absorbs heavy impacts and offers best-in-class protection for your knuckles and fists. It is also very versatile and allows you to smoothly transition between striking and grappling moves thanks to its Y-volar no-shift design.
- easy to transition between bag training and sparring
- Premium quality look and feel
- One of the most expensive gloves on the market
These Combat Pro pair of gloves are ideal for beginners who don’t want to shell out a lot of cash while still dabbling with the sport. While they meet all state regulations for professional competition requirements, we wouldn’t recommend wearing them to serious senior-level competitions. These 5-ounce weight half mitts have 3/4-inch padding for increased safety. They will protect your hands as well as your opponents. These are mostly used for sparring, and their open palm design allows for better grappling and gripping. All that said, these are probably the cheapest gloves of decent quality that can be worn to a competition.
- Affordable price
- Genuine leather
- Open palm design
- Meets competition requirements
- Not exactly competition ready
Venum Undisputed 2.0 MMA Gloves are the newest and best gloves to come out of the Venum stable. Designed in Thailand, these gloves have been developed with more comfort and premier quality in mind. The gloves almost become an extension of your hands due to the curved shape design and comfortable, perfect fit. You will feel the difference in power when you land your punches. The double-closure system makes it easy to wear and guarantees comfort, fit, and support. The wide leather Velcro strap closure reduces the risk of a wrist injury. The often overlooked feature in these gloves is the reinforcement provided on each finger and thumb opening. This protects your fingers and absorbs continuous shocks, especially if you practice for longer durations. The other Venum MMA gloves you should also check are the Venum challenger MMA gloves.
- One of the most comfortable gloves
- Color options
- Great wrist support
- Not great for heavy bag work
- Recommended to use with hand wraps
These are probably the best overall gloves for beginners. They are not as cheap as Combat Sports Pro but they are not expensive either. They are also no nonsense-nonsense and get the job done. These gloves are made with premium synthetic leather and have superior glove construction, which provides long-lasting durability and functionality. A full wrist wrap strap allows for more customization than any other glove in this category and offers superior wrist support and protection. These gloves have fantastic moisture absorbing capability but what gives them an edge over the others is their trademarked EverFresh antimicrobial treatment which prevents offensive odors from long usage.
- Inexpensive gloves for beginners
- Decent quality for the price
- A full wrist strap allows for customization
- Not every competition friendly
Boxers hate it when they have to change gloves when switching between competition and training. The Sanabul Battle Forged MMA Grappling Gloves fix that problem without compromising on performance. It is great for mixed martial arts training sessions or sparring sessions when you want to seamlessly transition between grappling and striking. The use of SBL engineered leather makes these gloves more comfortable to wear while providing the best in segment durability. What we also loved about these gloves is how quickly they dried up after a long practice session — no more slippery palms or frequent glove replacements for boxers that like to sweat it out a little more than the average Joe!
The Hook and Loop Closure System is quite cutting edge. It allows you to easily put on these MMA gloves even while wearing hand wraps underneath.
- Versatility
- Fast drying breathable lining
- Tilts more towards punching bag use v/s sparring use
Detailed reviews of the Best MMA Gloves for Training and Sparring
The Fairtex Combat Sparring Gloves are one of the finest creations ever for MMA training. These gloves are relatively expensive, but if you are looking for something durable for your training, these are highly recommended. They come with a top-grain leather shell and offer complete protection for sparring and bag training. These are probably the only gloves that have an all-black look and are sure to turn heads at the gym.
We found the foam to be extra thick but not so thick that your movements are affected. Their ergonomic built-in curve in the foam ensures good movement and protection. It also has a full wraparound wristband and a hook and loop closure for added wrist protection.
- High-qualityty top grain leather shell
- Extra padding for protection
- Not customizable
These are hands down one of the best gloves for bag and sparring use. A 2" layer of molded foam padding ensures maximum safety during training. We thought the thick padding would interfere with mobility, but the gloves felt so comfortable due to their ergonomic fit and the hinged knuckle design allows for a full range of motion. These gloves also offer amazing wrist support with their wrap-around wrist strap that keeps them tight and secure. Our boxers liked the fully open palm design that allows for skin contact and better control. It has a good quality striking surface built with leather and can easily last more than 6 months for heavy to intense trainers.
- 2” foam padding
- Good wrist support
- There have been reports of the gloves sliding backward sometimes, exposing knuckles
Just like their competition counterparts (T3 LX MMA gloves), these gloves have a premium feel to them. They also feel incredibly comfortable to wear and spar with. It is designed for the boxers’ comfort and has a pre-formed curve to reduce hand fatigue and an open palm design with a fully-adjustable velcro wrist wrap closure. They are built with microfiber vegan leather that provides superior tear, crack, and abrasion resistance and helps them last longer than most other sparring gloves. The Dual-X Closure provides hand and wrist stabilization and the high-density padded foam absorbs impact and dissipates energy so your hand is protected and you can train longer.
- Great hand and wrist support
- Great for long practice
- Vegan leather
- Expensive
- Some boxers take a long time to break into these gloves
The Everlast training MMA gloves are probably one of the best training gloves under $40 on the market today. They are made of 100% Polyurethane (PU) that provides decent durability. They have reinforced finger loops with anatomical thumb padding for increased protection while only mildly compromising mobility. They also come with an 18” hook & loop wrist strap and a tri-sect closure for extra support and protection. These are a must-have for any budget-conscious beginner who is trying to get into MMA.
- Inexpensive
- Decent quality
- Have to wear wraps for protection
- Reports of strong chemical smell
Stunning gloves featuring an injection-molded foam knuckle with a pre-curved single-mold design. These could compete with any other regular boxing gloves for impact dispersion and yet offer the mobility of an MMA glove. The D-ring allows boxers to pull the strap snugly for maximum security to minimize shifting while sparring. These gloves offer less finger coverage, but they are awesome for gripping and grabbing opponents while sparring. They come with independent EVA foam segments on the thumb for extra protection while maintaining flexibility. They have been constructed from super soft grade A leather for a premium feel and long-lasting durability.
- One of the best gloves for sparring
- Cost
- Not great for bag practice
MMA Gloves size chart guide
You can use the sizing chart below to estimate the gloves that would fit you, but we suggest reviewing the size guide from the individual brands to make sure they fit your hand size.
| Size | Hand Circumference (in) | Hand Circumference (cm) |
| S | <8 | <20 |
| M | 8-8.5 | 20-21.5 |
| L | 8.5-9.5 | 21.5-24 |
| XL | 9.5-10.5 | 24-26.7 |
Summary
- Best Overall: RDX gloves : Jump to review
- Best leather competition gloves:
Hayabusa T3 Leather gloves : Jump to review - Best budget gloves for Competition: Combat Sports Pro : Jump to review
- Best Hybrid gloves: Sanabul Battle Forged : Jump to review
- Best for Beginners: Everlast Pro Style : Jump to review
Best MMA gloves for Training and Grappling
- Best Training Gloves: Fairtex FGV18 Super Sparring gloves : Jump to review
- Best All-Rounder: UFC Pro Sparring : Jump to review
- Best Bag and Sparring: Combat Sports Max Strike Training : Jump to review
- Best Premium training gloves:
Hayabusa T3 Training : Jump to review - Best Budget gloves for Training: Everlast Train Advanced : Jump to review
How do you choose MMA gloves – Best Buying Guide
What are the different types of MMA gloves?
The three key types are Fighting or Competition gloves, sparring gloves, and Grappling gloves.
Fighting gloves: MMA competitions have strict rules on the weight of gloves; therefore, most competition gloves are lightweight and fingerless offering the best freedom of movement among the three.
Sparring gloves: protection is the name of the game when you are getting sparring gloves. The objective during sparring sessions is to enhance your techniques while minimizing injury to yourself or your sparring partner. These gloves usually have more padding and are bulkier.
Grappling gloves: These are hybrid gloves, and they provide both fighting and sparring capabilities. The key difference with these gloves is that they allow for better finger mobility as compared to traditional sparring gloves but also have more padding as compared to traditional fighting gloves.
Pro Tip: Most boxers have gloves dedicated for bag practice, punching a heavy bag repeatedly means you will need that extra protection for your wrists and fingers. Having separate gloves for bag practice will also enhance the life of your fighting gloves which you typically grow into
What material should MMA gloves be made of?
Most MMA gloves are designed with leather or synthetic leather (PU leather). Leather gloves are more durable but also more expensive. Real leather is more expensive and offers greater comfort, but if you’re not willing to spend too much for your first pair of gloves, there are really good synthetic options too.
Leather vs Synthetic Leather – Leather is an obvious first choice for most boxers, but these leather gloves come with a premium price tag. It does offer better durability, fit and feel as compared with cheaper alternatives for the price tag. There are fantastic synthetic material options these days which almost have the same features, but they will never look as good as hand-crafted leather gloves.
What type of padding should my gloves have?
The most common type of padding used is foam. Many brands use layered foam while others use regular foam. It all comes down to quality, the cheaper gloves will usually be less durable and less likely to hold up over months of use. In general, competition gloves have 4oz padding while training gloves have more than 7oz padding.
What type of straps should I consider while buying MMA gloves?
We have seen some gloves that come with really weak wrist straps or are missing them altogether! We highly recommend buying gloves with a solid strap because this is what holds the entire gloves together and in place. Your wrists will thank you long-term if you invest in a pair of gloves that offer solid wrist support.
Frequently Asked Questions
Summary: The Best MMA gloves are
Best MMA Gloves for Competition
- Best Overall: RDX MMA
- Best leather competition gloves:
Hayabusa T3 Leather - Best budget for Competition: Combat Sports Pro MMA
- Best Hybrid: Sanabul Battle Forged MMA
- Best for Beginners: Everlast Pro Style MMA
Best MMA gloves for Training and Grappling
- Best Training Gloves: Fairtex FGV18 Super Sparring
- Best All-Rounder: UFC Pro MMA Sparring
- Best Bag and Sparring: Combat Sports Max Strike MMA Training
- Best Premium training:
Hayabusa T3 Training MMA - Best Budget for Training: Everlast Train Advanced MMA
Do you already have MMA gloves? Tell us more in the comments section below.
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hi …. I bought a pair of these gloves for Krav maga and they are great , they feel like you have wood on your hands they are tought on the outside and soft for your hands . A light punch is painful for the opposition , your fingers have good movement , good for punching pads ……….. i have nothing to compare them with but i like them alot